The Green Eyed Killer
by Plasnix112
Summary: Meet Tatsumi, a person who committed the greatest crime against the Empire, and for that he is sentenced to death. Hearing of his capture, the infamous group of assassins, Night Raid, plan on rescuing, and enlisting him into their group. Darker and stronger Tatsumi! (Rated M to be safe.)
1. Kill the Start

**Hey everybody! Welcome to my attempt to make a successful Akame Ga Kiru fic! I was thinking of doing a Fairy Tail fic, but I figured, what **

**the hell? Why not give a recent anime/manga a shot? Just to warn all, Tatsumi will be OOC. As for a pairing, I haven't decided yet, but I hope **

**you will enjoy this story as much as my others. That's right punks! I'm attempting FOUR fics. I got a lotta extra time on on my hands, and I **

**freaking love writing this stuff. Of course don't expect me upload like a maniac as usual, I HAVE A LIFE TO Y'KNOW! But enough of my **

**pointless banter, lets get on with the story! This is The Green Eyed Killer!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Prologue...<strong>_

It was cold.

The feeling a person got at this time of the year. It was freezing over day and night, the winter winds coming in to blanket the earth once more in pure white snow. A couple of guards belonging to the Empire, were stationed outside a small stone bunker, when in reality it was actually a holding cell. They were shivering at the stinging-cold the wind kept blowing on their faces. They breathed heavily, clutching and rubbing their sides, desperately trying to keep themselves from freezing.

"Gahhh, I hate this time of year." One of scowled while his teeth were chattering.

"How long has it been since the last shift?" The other asked, fairing no better then the other guard.

"I don't know, and I don't give a frozen rat's ass! The relief unit should have rolled in since the last two hours." He said exhaling into his hands.

"I wouldn't be surprised. Considering the first blizzard of the month is approaching."

"Why the hell did I even agree to this? Being stationed out here..I might as well have been sent to a frozen grave by General Esdeath. I at least wouldn't be suffering from this cursed weather." He complained as clouds of warm breath exited his mouth.

"I know what you mean. When they said it was considered the greatest duty a knight of the Empire could attend, I was thinking feast, a warm bed, and a whore or two at my side while I drank."

"Such things are only attainable when you get promoted. I had the same idea, but i'm beginning to think I'll die a dog's death out here." They shared their fantasies with each other while trying to take their minds off the bone-chilling temperature.

"Why do we even need to stand here? I much rather would be inside this little prison then freezing my ass off outside of it."

"Yeah sure, go ahead. I'm sure the prisoner would love to gouge your eyes out and snap your neck while he welcomed you inside." The other said sarcastically.

"He's just a little brat."

"That managed to almost assassinate the King, and kill about 56 veterans of the Imperial Guard."

"56? I heard it was 20." The other said confused.

"Oh no, a man I know that was stationed on patrol, said that when they arrived, nearly half of them were killed, and the other half had managed to capture him."

"A young man managed to kill 56 of the king's personal guard? Are you sure he didn't have help? Sounds a bit too vague."

"Believe what you want. Don't tell a soul I told you this, but.." The guard then listened more intently. "Apparently, they found a Teigu on him."

"Those cursed weapons?! One of those Arms that could rival the power of an army!?" He asked shocked.

"Yep."

"Gods forbid...No wonder he managed to kill half of them." He thought, feeling a bit shocked of the fact this boy possessed one of the many Imperial-Arms.

"Well, when you go against the Empire, you better be ready to take the the whole country on. Otherwise you end up like this poor sap." They continued talking about a great many things about the events that transpired. The "prisoner" was sitting against a cold stone wall. It was cold, but at least it blocked the freezing air from outside. For the past four hours he had listened to these two idiots ramble on, and on, and on until he just wished they would just go burn..or freeze in hell. He had endured the beatings, the whippings, the starving, the torture, but he would rather be interrogated instead of listening to these two morons rant about how cold it is.

He was chained up by his ankles, and his wrists. He had been in the prison for probably a day, maybe two, he didn't know. The only track of time he could keep was when the guards changed shifts every two hours. But it sounded like the next detail was late. His eyes were a dark, emerald green. His brown hair, partially covered in blood, all in a mess. The only thing he had keeping him warm was just a pair of brown ragged trousers.

_"I'd give anything just to shove a couple of rusty nails down their throats."_ He was getting sick of this. He wasn't thinking of escaping, but if he got the chance, those two had just signed their death warrants. He just sulked, wondering when he was gonna appear to the public, humiliated, charged with the usual bullshit that the king's enemies got, then laying head first on that chopping block, and the split second his head would leave his shoulders and hit the earth, just like many innocent and wrongfully accused people who's bodies had rotted into the earth. He knew the Empire was corrupt. But the the Empire wasn't his only enemy.

He had to be wary of the Revolutionary Army as well. Killing one of the high ranked members wasn't exactly the best way to break the ice with them. But that captain was smuggling intel on their movements, so he thought he'd kill him, then explain to them what happened. But that went out the window when the arrows started flying, and the shouts of vengeance rang in his ears. They had assumed HE was the spy. He ran, not getting a chance to explain himself. Unfortunately, it only got worse when the captain's men tried to kill him out of revenge, thus resulting in their deaths, and not his.

But this wasn't relevant to him. The only thing he cared about was himself. He would never trust anyone. And you couldn't blame him. If the Empire or The Revolutionary Army had sent an assassin after him, he would never know who it was, or what side they were on. So he kept to himself as much as he could. His fighting prowess, that weapon he found, and his instincts are what kept him alive until now. Well, up until he got captured. If he didn't figure out a way to get the key, or at least something to pick the cuffs, the next time he opened his eyes, would be on the day of his execution.

He then heard voices outside.

"Ah, finally! What the hell took you guys so long!? I'm freezing my ass off out he-Wait, weren't their supposed to be fi-UHk!" He then heard what sound like someone choking, and bones cracking.

"Sorry~! But don't worry, we're here to relieve you, permanently." A feminine voice said as the sounds of the guard's final breath left him and a thud on the ground could be heard.

"You bitch! How'd you find this place-GAWK!" A gunshot was then heard and another thud of a body hit the ground again. The prisoner then slowly lifted his head, trying to identify with his hearing what the commotion was outside.

_"..A gunman..and a really strong woman by the sounds of that idiot's neck cracking...best noise I've heard all day actually...only question is..who's the imbeciles that stole my kills?" _He wanted be the one to murder those idiots. After their infernal conversation for four hours, he was gonna make them suffer for it...for four hours. He then heard what sounded like a gunshot breaking the lock on the stone door. It then was creaking open, as the moonlight slowly crept inside. His hair was in the way of his eyes, as he couldn't quite see who was entering. If these damn chains were just off of him...

"Really? This is who we're rescuing?" Another feminine voice asked with a hint of annoyance in their voice.

"Well what were you expecting? He is the most wanted person in the empire right now."

"Whatever. Bulat?"

"We have to hurry. I think that patrol is coming back." A masculine voice said as the prisoner felt his chains breaking off as if they were nothing. It surprised him actually. "We're getting you out now, just leave it to me, kay?" The masculine voice said which creeped him out for some reason.

"Target located. Return to headquarters." Another feminine voice said in monotone.

"Hey, Bulat! Watch out for the-!" Next thing the prisoner felt was himself dropping and hitting his forehead on the ground, and a rock hitting and knocking him unconscious. The last few sounds he heard, sounded like gunfire, and artillery being used around them.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The next morning...<strong>_

The prisoner's eyes were slowly opening. He felt unusually comfortable, which was strange for him. He hadn't felt the comforting sensation of a cotton mattress in...it was a really long time. He heard birds singing their morning song, and the sunlight was shining in through a glass window. He slowly looked around but didn't see anyone..until his eyes fell upon emotionless red eyes. He then slowly got up and looked at the person before him. They both seemed to make an emotionless expression at each other. He blinked, she blinked. He tilted his head slightly, she did the same.

"Something wrong prisoner?" She asked.

".." He stayed silent.

"..Very well. I shall inform the boss you're awake." She said as she sat up and walked off down a hall. The prisoner was trying to figure out what happened. Why was he peacefully sleeping in a bed, with an emotionless girl staring at him? He didn't know what to think. He shook his head slightly out of frustration, he then noticed that he was wearing a white buttoned shirt, and dark grey pants. He noticed his wounds were bandaged properly. He then smelled what smelled like meat. His stomach then growled. He hadn't eaten anything for a while now. Last time he ate, was probably when that cricket wandered too close to him.

"I almost forgot." The girl returned. She had a tray with a fish on it. "Boss told me to feed you when you woke up." She said as she sat down next to him. She then used a fork and got a piece and held it in front of him.

"..." He remained silent.

"You must eat. Being kept in a prison for that long, it's a wonder you're still alive." She said as she motioned her hand closer.

_"What am I 3? Just give me the damn fork." _He then tried to take the fork from her, but she held on to it and wouldn't let go.

"I must feed you." She said again. The prisoner's grip tightened in annoyance.

_"Give. Me. The fork." _He thought as he tried pulling harder and harder.

"Don't make this difficult." She then jabbed her fingers into his side and he let out a yelp. She took the chance to stick the food in his mouth. When it had entered his mouth he stopped moving. His first cooked meal in days, and he was being forced fed. What the hell was wrong with this picture?

"..." He then finally gave up and opened his mouth and let her put bite sized pieces in his mouth.

"How is it?" She asked. He then shrugged and nodded slightly.

"Heavenly!?" She asked astonished.

_"Where the hell did you get that from!?" _He sweat dropped. After she was done feeding him she took the tray and fork and walked off into the hallway. He felt a bit more better after eating. Although he thought it was weird she only fed him meat. The fish could also use some seasoning. Ah, it didn't matter. More importantly, where was he anyway?

"Everyone is waiting for you prisoner." The girl said as she came back. He then slowly got out of the bed and groaned silently. He began walking a little awkwardly, but he was fine after a few moments of leaning on the hallway's walls and walking towards another room. The girl was right behind him, making sure he didn't fall. When he had entered the room, he saw about seven people. Six standing around the carpet, and one on a chair. He was hesitant at first, but the girl behind him gave him a nudge. He then walked forward untill he came to the center of the room, as he felt all their eyes fall on him.

"Greetings. I hope my troop here didn't handle you too roughly last night." A white haired woman wearing a black suit said as she leaned forward. She had a robotic arm, and an eye patch. He then looked around the room with his eyes, mapping out all the exits to the room.

"If you're looking to escape, don't worry about it." The woman said with a smile. "We're not going to hurt you."

"Unless you try to run, in which case, i'll shoot you dead before you even get to that hall way." A girl with pink hair, and pink eyes, and pink clothes said coldly.

"Mine." The woman said.

"How can we trust this guy!? How do we know he's not gonna turn on us the second we-"

"That's what we're going to find out." The boss lady said.

"Hmph, well I got my eye on you. Try anything funny, and you're toast." She said as she held up a weird gun-like machine. The prisoner just blinked and turned back to the boss lady.

"You'll have to forgive Mine."

"Yeah, she's not so bad once you get to know her!" A blonde, tall girl said as she held her hands behind her head and puffed her chest out. She wore a belt and and barely any clothing to speak of.

"What's your name young man?" A familiar masculine voice asked, belonging to a tall and muscular man.

"..." He still remained silent.

"Hey, speak up! He's asking you a question!" Mine demanded.

"It's all right. He just needs to get to know us better. Right~?" A romantic atmosphere appeared around him which disturbed the prisoner greatly.

_"Is everyone here a total weirdo?!" _He sweat dropped.

"I'm Bulat. The one that was talking is Mine. And those two beauties are Leone and Sheele." The two waved in a friendly manner.

"Hey, i'm a beauty too!" Mine yelled in dismay.

"Ahahah, of course Mine. That ragtag gentleman over there is Lubbock." He pointed to the members as they all waved at him in a friendly manner. "And this is Akame. She may seem a little weird at first, but she's all sorts of fun."

"I am lots of fun." She said in monotone. The prisoner just sweat dropped at this.

"And I am Najenda. I'm the boss of everyone here, and the leader of Night Raid." The white haired woman said as the prisoner's eyes narrowed.

"Now that we know each other better now, why don't you tell us your name young man. Won't you please~?" Bulat asked again in romantic fashion.

"..The name is Tatsumi." He finally said as he gave up. He was afraid that this guy was going to start doing something weirder at this rate.

"I see. Tatsumi, you're probably wondering why you're here." Najenda said as she sat back.

"..Well..if you wanted me dead, i'm sure I would've been a long time ago. And if you brought me here, you obviously have some use for me. But I guess the most nagging question right now is why." Tatsumi said as he narrowed green his eyes at Najenda.

"First I want to clear something up." She said as she crossed her legs. "Are you familiar with a captain in the Revolutionary Army, going by the name of Far Heshing?" She asked in a serious tone.

"..Oh that meatbag. What about him?" Tatsumi said with an emotionless expression.

"...Why'd you kill him?" She asked before reaching for a cigarette and lighting it.

"..Well first of all, he pissed me off. Secondly, I was digging around about him, and he was selling you guys out to the Empire." He said as he folded his arms.

"..Is that so? And the men under his command?"

"Self defense really, but I wish they put up a better fight then that." He smirked at the thought of it. "But whether you believe me or not is up to you."

"..Self defense huh? A traitor huh? I don't suppose you had any proof that he was dirty?" Najenda asked curiously.

"If I did, its long gone now." He said well maintaining a blank expression.

"Hm." Najenda puffed out a cloud of smoke as she thought about it. "Well it certainly clears up what everyone else has been saying. Right, onto the next question. You attacked the King and his guard when they were traveling. Why?"

"...My target wasn't the King." The others then hummed in surprise.

"Who then?"

"The fatass who's his lap dog." Tatsumi said in a cold tone.

"The Prime Minister?" Leone asked

"I planned on ambushing him when they were going through Danger Beast territory, but some idiot set the alarm off before I could get close to him. I tried to fight them all back, but they just kept coming. Then some asshole nearly got off a lucky shot and grazed the back of my head." He said as he felt the patch on his head. "I took out maybe 30 or so of them-"

"The reports said that 56 were found dead around the camp." Najenda corrected him.

"Whatever." Tatsumi said while shrugging. "Anyway, the reason I went for the Prime Minister was for revenge. Nothing less, nothing more. Just another meatbag to feed the soil." He finished as he sighed. They all were interested of his story. His cold nature and not caring about killing may be useful after all.

"So you hate the Empire?"

"More or less. I'm just looking to settle the score." Tatsumi said as his demeanor changed a bit dark. Najenda then smiled.

"In that case, how would you like to get even?"

"..I'm listening." Tatsumi said folding his arms.

"Night Raid's purpose is to purge the Empire of the corruption and filth that's consuming it. Our ultimate goal is to make it to the heart of the capital and assassinate the Prime Minister, Honest, the one controlling the King. And you clearly got some talent in killing. So how about it Tatsumi? Would you like to join us?"

"..." Tatsumi's hair was foreshadowing his eyes as he sighed and thought about it for a minute.

"Of course if you don't join, we'll kill you." Mine simply shrugged.

"No way! I'm sure he'll make a great addition, even if he doesn't want to be an assassin." Leone said enthusiastically.

"Ok. But on one condition." Tatsumi said as he looked back at Najenda.

"What is it?" She asked curiously.

"Simple. Get me my Tiegu." He smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I hope this goes a long way! Let me know what you think!<strong>

**Laters!**


	2. Kill the Teigu

_**Chapter 1...**_

The room was silent for about a minute.

"Your...Teigu?" Najenda raised her eye curiously.

"Yeah. I was using one before I was captured. It was confiscated, and was left at the interrogation camp about a mile from where I was, until someone comes to transport it." Tatsumi explained.

"You can use a Teigu?" Sheele asked curiously.

"Well, I don't know about using it. I haven't been able to use the full extent of it's abilities." He said as he thought about it.

"Which one is it?" Najenda asked.

"Don't know the name." Tatsumi shrugged.

"..Lubbock?"

"Already got it boss." He said as he came over and gave Tatsumi an old book.

"Whats this?" He asked.

"It's a book cataloging all the current Teigus we currently know that are in existence. If you do in fact wield one, it should be there." Tatsumi blinked and then looked at the book and opened it up. He started flipping through the pages. After a minute he was in the middle of the book and he still didn't find it..he then suddenly stopped and his eyes widened a little.

"Find it?"

"..No." He then went back to flipping through the pages until he was near the end of the book, but he stopped on the last page. "Here it is." He then turned the book around and everyone took a look. Najenda then got up and took the book from him and read it.

"Well, its a odd-looking sword. But other than that, their is no available information on this Teigu. Probably because nobody compatible could use it." Najenda said as she held a hand up to her chin. "Where did you get your hands on this?"

"I..found it one day when going through the mountains." He simply said.

"Hm, well if this is the case then this would be a very nice find. Ok, where can we find it?"

"It's at the camp I was imprisoned at. Although I don't think I could get it on my own." He said as he crossed his arms.

"Very well. Akame? Take Bulat, and Mine with Tatsumi, and retrieve that Teigu."

"Understood." Akame said.

"Well lets move out Tatsumi!" Bulat said as he slapped him on the back.

"Can I get something proper to wear first?" Tatsumi asked before they went out the door.

"Lubbock, send word to the army that we retrieved Tatsumi. And tell them we are in the process of possibly finding a Teigu." Najenda ordered him. "And tell them I need information on the incident with First Captain Far Heshing."

"On it boss." Lubbock said and left.

"Something on your mind boss?" Sheele asked.

"Just being thorough." She said as she sat back in her chair.

* * *

><p><em><strong>One day later...<strong>_

The group was standing in the tree line, staring at the camp. There was around fifty guards standing around, however most of them were concentrated around a entrance to a large fenced off area.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Mine said as she scanned the area.

"A regiment is stationed about a half mile down the road." Bulat said as he came over to where they were hiding. "They're probably planning on transporting it tonight."

"Then we're just in time." Tatsumi said as he looked out around the camp from a tree. He was now wearing brown boots, dark gray pants, a long brown coat and a dark green shirt under it. "Alright here's the pla-"

"Hold it newbie. You're not in charge of us, Akame gives the orders." Mine said in a irritated tone.

"I know the inside and out of this hellhole. I'm just telling you what would probably be best way to approach." Tatsumi argued back.

"Akame?" Bulat asked.

"You two will make a distraction and draw them outside. Me and Tatsumi will head inside and locate the Teigu. Just distract them, don't try and fight them head on. Begin the attack on my signal."

"Got it."

"Roger!" The two then separated.

"Tatsumi, you lead the way in." Akame said. Tatsumi then jumped down and landed next to her and he narrowed his eyes.

"Lets go in from the back, these meatbags actually expect us to come in through the front door. Although, I have been proven wrong on occasion." Tatsumi said as he smiled. "Follow me." The two then dashed off. After a few minutes, they made it behind the fenced off area. They then saw carriages and horses being prepped to leave by a stable. Yeah, they're definitely leaving. I'll take care of those 5 over there." He then silently ran over to the stables.

"Wait, Tatsumi!" Akame quickly said, but he was long gone. She watched him carefully from the trees, ready to assist him if he needed it. As she watched, she saw him quickly run up to one side of the carriage and waited for them to separate. After two of them split up from the other three, they walked off towards the stables and the other three stayed. As the two were heading over to a fire to warm themselves, Tatsumi had began his take down. He quickly ran towards them and sweeped them with his legs causing them to trip forward and land in the fire face first.

"AAAAGGH! FIRE!" They both shouted as they were burning. The other three quickly went to go see what happened, and were shocked to find the two on fire. They tried to help them, but they didn't want to get burnt. As they watched the two burn and shout in agony, they failed to notice Tatsumi jumping behind them and quickly jabbed a dagger in the back of one of their necks. He then quickly turned to the other two and jumped and slashed one of their throats and grabbed the other's head with his legs and knocked him down. He tried to shout out for help, but Tatsumi quickly stabbed him in the back of his head, resulting in instant death.

Tatsumi then got up and brushed his coat off. He then saw someone who saw him, and began running.

_"Found you!" _Tatsumi then grabbed the dagger by the blade, and threw it at him from behind and got him in the back of his head. He dropped to his knees and fell face first on the ground, dead. Akame just maintained a emotionless expression as she exited the tree line and headed for Tatsumi. He then looked back at her and said.

"I wanted to get the runner first. These camps usually have someone who runs off to get reinforcements when they become under attack." He explained.

"Still, you shouldn't run off like that. It's important to work with the rest of your team."

"This may come as a shock to you, but I don't really play well with others. Lets go." He said as he turned from her and headed for the back entrance. Akame watched him for a brief moment and a small frown had made it to her face. She wanted to get along with him, he was going to be a precious comrade, just like everybody else. But he seemed more distant from others, but it was also weird because he didn't even give off the slightest blood lust when he took those men down. His skill was exceptional, but he should rely on his friends more, she thought.

* * *

><p>Once inside, they peeked through a wagon they hid behind and saw a lot of men surrounding a single structure.<p>

"That must be it." Akame said.

"It would be wouldn't it?" Tatsumi said he narrowed his eyes around the area. _"Why don't these idiots just broadcast that they have a Teigu. Lets see..."_ He looked around once more and saw a store house next to the barracks. Akame was about to signal, but Tatsumi quickly grabbed her hand. "Wait, I think I have an idea." He told her as she slowly put her hand down.

"What is it?" She asked.

"That store house by the barracks, it should be housing munitions, and gun powder. If we make two distractions, then the guards should have their hands filled."

Won't that just draw them toward the building?" She asked.

"None of these guys are packing their rifles, which means they have them stored away. We take away that, they can't shoot at us when we make a run for it." Akame blinked and looked at the storehouse and Mine's position. It wasn't a bad idea.

"Alright, we'll try it, but if something goes wrong-"

"Make a run for it. Don't worry, I've done this and it worked two out of three times."

"What happened on the third?" Akame asked curiously.

"Oh, I blew the whole camp up." He said as he tilted his head slightly and shrugged."How good of a shot is Mine?" he asked.

"The best." Akame pointed out.

"Good, because this will only work if she is." He said as he looked around once more. "Theirs about twenty of them here. We could take take em', but they they would probably alert the guys outside. Here's what i'm gonna do." He began to explain to her.

* * *

><p><em>"What are those two doing down there? He better not be leading us into a trap."<em> Mines thought as she looked through the scope on her gun. She then saw the two nod and Tatsumi then sneaked off along the fence.

_"Whats he up to?"_ Mine wondered. She then saw Akame give her hand signals. _"Shoot. Him. Objective? What, does she want me to shoot him or something?"_ She wondered. She then saw Akame make more gestures with her hand._ "Eyes on..him._" She then followed Tatsumi with her scope and he managed to get behind the storehouse. She then saw him jump in through a window. After a minute she saw a keg exit the window from inside. She saw another thrown out, and out came Tatsumi as he came out and looked at her and he did some hand motions that Akame must have told him.

_"Second. Diversion. Shoot. After. First. He wants to blow up the storehouse after the first diversion?" _She then saw him gesture eyes on Akame. And with that he headed back to Akame's position. Akame then gave the signal and Mine aimed. _"Well, if that's what she wants. Time to make some noise." _She then fired a shot at one of the guards in front of the gate, killing him instantly with a head shot.

"Gun!"

"Where'd it come from!?"

"Up there on the ridge line!"

"An enemy is attacking!" The scrambled towards Mine's position. As they ran towards her, they were getting picked off one by one with her gun.

"Bulat." Mine said, and suddenly a large armored figure emerged from the forest charged toward the incoming troops. He had a red spear in hand and began slashing through the guards rather quick. Several of them fell to his precise attacks in a matter of seconds.

"It's Night Raid! Call for reinforcements!" One of them shouted. Bulat readied his spear as he thought. _"Make it quick Tatsumi, Akame!"_

* * *

><p>"Heh, sounds like they're having a party out there." Tatsumi said with a smile.<p>

"Lets go." Akame said. She then revealed her self to the guards and they all charged towards her. "You are in the way of our mission. Eliminate." Akame said as she dashed towards the guards and drew her sword. She moved so fast with her sword the guards didn't even get a swing in, as they all just froze. Akame then whipped the blood off her sword. They all then dropped dead on the ground. Tatsumi was surprised.

_"She's really good. Although i'm wondering how she killed them all in one strike each. Is the blade poisoned?" _He wondered.

"Tatsumi?" She asked as she motioned for him to come over.

"This would be a lot easier if I had my weapon. But, once I get my hands on that, we'll punch through." He said as they headed for the structure. Tatsumi kicked the door open, surprising the guards inside.

"Hey meatbags, miss me?" He said as he smirked at the guards.

"Its the prisoner!"

"Kill that little shit!" Three of them came at Tatsumi as he charged them head on. He sidestepped and tripped one of them and ducked, barely dodging a sword. He then jumped up and kneed another guy in the face, and then dodged a couple of sword slashes from the third guy, and grabbed a dagger from his belt and stabbed him with it, and then quickly pushed him away. He turned and Akame had already killed the other two with her sword as they fell on the ground.

"Where is it?" She asked as she sheathed her sword.

"Should be over...there." He then found a sword with a green handle and silver triangular guard, in a brown scabbard on a table. He took it and turned to Akame and nodded. The two then ran towards the door.

* * *

><p>"Geez, how many of these guys are there?!" Mine said in annoyance as she kept firing at them. Bulat just got done killing another soldier, as he was surrounded.<p>

"Mine, are they done yet?" He shouted.

"Let me ch..Yeah! Their coming!" She confirmed as she saw the two exit the building and Akame giving her the signal to blow up the storehouse. She then aimed at the kegs and was waiting till they got clear. She then fired and set off an explosion within the camp and fireballs were flying everywhere.

"Our storehouse blew up!" One of them panicked.

"Do not let them through the gate!" A guard said as he and ten others blocked the gate. Tastumi then ran faster and headed straight for them.

"Meatbags don't tell me what to do." He said darkly as he drew the sword he held, revealing to be a silver straight sword with a green material in the center of the blade . He then spun and slashed towards the guards horizontally, letting loose a blast of strong wind, that blasted through the gate and sent them flying. The guards outside were surprised of how the gate and the ones guarding it were sent flying towards them. Bulat took this opportunity and broke through while they were in a state of confusion.

"Mission complete! Return to base!" Akame said and Mine got up and smiled.

"Wasn't even a pinch." She then ran back into the forest as the others followed.

"Hm?" Tatsumi saw a soldier with a rifle aimed at Akame. He then pounced and headed straight for him.

"Tch! DIE YOU MONSTER!" He then fired a round from his rifle at Tatsumi. Tatsumi then immediately slashed and cut the bullet clean in half, which shocked the guard as time slowed down while Tatsumi descended on him with emotionless eyes.

_"He..cut the bullet!?" _Tatsumi had a look of pure focus as brought his sword down and vertically sliced him in half. Blood shot everywhere and a few drops fell on Tatsumi's cheeks. He then put the sword back in the scabbard and ran towards the forest with Akame. She glanced over at him as he ran alongside her. He had a emotionless expression as they ran.

_"Did..he protect me?"_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Night Raid headquarters...<em>**

"Heey everyone~!" Leone greeted them as they came into sight and she came up to them happily.

"I see everyone has returned." Najenda said as she was sitting on a stump outside the base, with Lubbock standing next to her.

"Yep, we got the Teigu. It was where he said it was." Bulat said as they looked at the sword Tatsumi was holding.

"May I see it?" Najenda asked. Tatsumi hesitated for a moment, but he then tossed it to her as she caught it and examined it. She pulled it out part way and noticed the green material in the center of the blade.

"Hm, looks like the material is comprised of a alloy from a Tempest." She noted.

"Tempest?" Tatsumi asked curiously.

"Its a danger beast that lives in high mountains that no normal human could survive if they attempted the trip, because of the altitude. Its a dragon-like beast said to be able to reach the highest altitude then any other danger beast recorded. It has a long green horn that is said to control wind currents, and able to cut through tornadoes and storms, effectively canceling them in a instant." She explained.

"Storms and tornadoes? That's gotta be a hoax." Mine said as she didn't believe that was possible.

"Its what the top scientists studying this beast recorded." Najenda said as she took out a cigarette.

"Oh, everyone is back!" Sheele said as she came out of the base."Did you find what you were looking for..um, Tatsumi?" She said as she tried to remember his name.

"Yeah." He simply said as he crossed his arms.

"I see, i'm glad you all are okay." She smiled warmly.

"Tatsumi." Najenda said as he looked at her with a narrow expression. "Show me what this Teigu is capable of." She said as she tossed it to him. He caught it and looked at it for a minute.

"You sure you want to trust me with this. I could attack you, you know?" He said with a dark smile.

"You bastard!" Mine said aiming her gun at him.

"Relax Flatty. I'm not going try anything." He said with as he smiled and snickered.

"F-FLATTY!? You pervert! You damn mega pervert!" She was about to shoot him, but Leone stopped her as she tried get free and murder Tatsumi.

"Let go, i'm gonna kill this jerk!" She was blushing while comically flailing around in Leone's grasp. She seemed to be background noise, as Tatsumi ignored her and faced the forest. He then drew the sword as they all watched him. He then quickly whipped it around with fast reflexes that Akame could barely read. He then stopped and held it behind as his eyes turned to a glare of focus.

"ArrRRRAHH!" He shouted, as he slashed the air in front of him and made two curved blades of wind overlapping each other making a X shape. It jetted through the forest and went through about a dozen trees before disappearing. After a moment the trees then fell over, result of the air blades that went through them. Tatsumi then spun around and sent a large blast of wind toward the trees. Blowing everything away from that area, as all that remained were the stumps. He sighed, as he dropped to a knee and sweated a little.

The others were impressed by the performance.

"Nice Tatsumi!" Bulat complimented.

"He blew part of the forest away." Sheele exclaimed as she held a hand to her mouth.

"Wow, that was really cool Tatsumi~!" Leone complimented.

"That..wasn't to bad." Mine said as she stuck her lips out with a slight pout, but she was about as impressed with it as everyone else.

"Nice!" Lubbock said with a smiled. Tatsumi then got up as he looked at the sword with frustration.

"..Tch." He scowled which made the others curious.

"Something wrong?" Akame asked.

"No..Here boss." He said as he threw it to her and headed for the building.

"Hey, where are you going?" Leone asked.

"I'm tired." He said as he went inside. The others were confused at his.

"What was that about?" Mine wondered.

"Was it something you said?" Akame asked Mine.

"Why do you think I did something?!" She shouted at her annoyed.

"Beats me." Leone said shrugging.

"..." Najenda was silent as she blew smoke out her nose and looked at the Teigu curiously. _"He doesn't like it." _She thought as she looked back to the building. This kid was good, but he seemed displeased with himself..or something.

* * *

><p>Tatsumi went straight to his bed and threw himself on it and just stared back up at the ceiling. He wanted silence, and time to himself. He thought about that sword that he "found" a few months ago. He then held his arm over his eyes as he was thinking.<p>

_"Please...just leave me..you must..keep it safe." _A girl in his head said as he flashed back to something. He gritted his teeth at the voice, feeling a bit of guilt with a hint of rage. He despised that moment. He wanted to forget, he doesn't need any distractions like getting emotional or some shit like that. Stronger. He just wanted to get stronger, and gut that fucking pig, and make him eat his own entrails. _"I'll kill him...I'll kill him..I'll..hm?" _Tatsumi noticed someone peaking at the door. It was Akame, she looked composed, but he could tell she was keeping her sword at the ready.

"I can feel your blood lust down the hall. Is something wrong Tatsumi?" She asked as he calmed down and didn't realize he was leaking killer intent.

"No, i'm just tired." He said as he turned away from her. She stood in the door way for a moment before coming over to him and sitting on the side of the bed.

"Thank you." She said. Tatsumi was now confused.

"What for?" He asked. He didn't do anything to be thanked for, at least nothing he could remember.

"You..killed that soldier who was about to shoot me." She said as he still kept his back to her and his eyes widened slightly, remembering how he cut that guy down.

"..." He remained silent.

"I just figured I should thank you for that."

"He just happened to be in the way. You don't need to thank me." He said as he kept his back to her.

"I see.." She said as she turned and looked at the floor.

"...Anything else?"

"Hai. Dinner."

"Huh?" He then made a look of confusion as he turned to her.

"Since you're new, boss wants you to help out with cooking." She said.

"Dinner huh?...Whatever." He said as he started getting up. The two sat on the bed as the two were silent. Tatsumi then got up and said. "Thank you."

"For what?" She asked curiously.

"For not dying." He said with the same emotionless expression. She then made a sound of surprise and then smiled warmly.

"Mm." He wasn't that bad she thought.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evening...<strong>_

"Hmm...needs a little more pepper." Tatsumi was wearing a cooking apron as he was taste testing a piece of steak he was dicing up and cooking.

"Wow, you really know how to cook." Leone said as she was drawn into the kitchen by the aroma.

"I experimented a lot when I was on my own, but I didn't have much to work with-Akame!" He then slapped Akame's hand as she was reaching for the steak cubes he made.

"I..I just..want a taste." She was eyeing the meat like a predator, as Tatsumi held it away from her.

"I told you, when everyone sits down, then you can eat." He said as she kept trying to grab it from him.

"Hahaha~! Akame makes meat every time she cooks. She rarely makes any side dishes when she makes dinner." She explained.

"But meat is really good." Akame said as she turned to her with a weird expression, still reaching for the large bowl of meat.

"So are other things! Now would you stop taking my meat!?" Tatsumi said with a tick mark.

"Well it smells great! Keep up the good work you two!" She said as she went off happily.

"Ok, finish chopping up the vegetables, then we'll add it with the steak cubes."

"Then more meat?" She asked.

"What is with your obsession with meat?" Tatsumi wondered as he sweat dropped.

"..Hey Tatsumi." She suddenly asked.

"Hm?" He hummed, as he was cooking up more steak cubes, and making rice at the same time.

"..Do you..not like that Teigu?" She asked. He stopped momentarily, but resumed cooking.

"What makes you say that?" He asked.

"You seemed upset about something when you left earlier."

"..That Teigu was a part of my village's hidden treasures." He said as he went over next to her and helped cut vegetables. "We were supposed to keep it safe from the Empire, or anybody else looking for it." He said as his story went on."A man who used to be in the Empire taught me and my friends how to fight, so I could help protect it. But the Empire found where he was exiled, and they demanded he hand over the Teigu. But he didn't cave, so they killed him for obstruction, or some bullshit. Eeh!" He then accidentally cut his finger.

"You're hurt." Akame said as she grabbed his hand then held it up and sucked on the cut.

"Uhh, what are you doing?" Tatsumi asked, confused by her actions.

"Need to stop the bleeding. Hold still." After a few moments, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a wrap, and began tying it on his finger. "What happened afterward?" She asked.

"...What the Empire does best. Butchering people who don't agree to their demands." He said as his eyes were filled with hate. Akame looked at him in the eye as her red orbs stared into his green ones.

"You must have been by yourself for a long time."

"I just don't trust anyone." He said as he remained emotionless.

"Then...do you trust me?" She asked as his eyes went back to normal and he made blank look.

"..Only if you'll stop trying to eat the meat." He said as he held the bowl away from her once more.

"Meeanie." She said as she turned away with a weird pout.

"But I guess..I can put my faith in you." He said as she turned back to him, and was surprised to see him smiling warmly. She matched it as she nodded with a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks.

"Lets finish dinner." He said as she went back to chopping vegetables. She was happy their new comrade was able to smile. It made her feel that he would indeed become a precious friend to her, and everyone else. She glanced back at him as he continued cooking, and then smiled.

* * *

><p>"Oh my gosh that was delicious~! I think I found my future husband~!" Leone said as she held Tatsumi close to her chest, much to his annoyance, but he had to admit, she was pretty well developed in certain areas.<p>

"Not bad newbie. At least you're good for something." Mine said, acting all proud.

"Now that was what I call a feast! We should have you cook every meal from now on!" Bulat said happily as he patted his stomach.

"Just experimental." He said as he was being treated like Leone's toy.

"More meat next time." Akame said as her plate was clean.

_"Such a glutton."_ Tatsumi thought as he sweat dropped.

"Very good Tatsumi. I've never had something this well made before." Sheele complimented.

"Yeah, it certainly is a switch up from having only meat, and burnt food half the time." Najenda said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Maybe you should be the cook from now on."

"As I said, just experimental." He said.

"Well, don't get full of yourself now. You may be able to cook, but you still have a ways to go!" Mine said as she huffed.

"Zip it Flat Chest." Tatsumi said in monotone.

"What was that!?" She fired back in anger.

"Don't worry. I'm sure in the next twenty years you'll go up half a size. No promises though." He smirked as she was blushing and growling.

"Y-you..!" She was ready to pounce from her seat at him as he smiled and laughed, much to everyone's surprise. It was pleasant to see him enjoying himself, and his smile looked innocent and happy. The first time in a long time he ever acted happily around anyone.

* * *

><p><strong>Figured I should give another chapter to get the ball rolling on this one. Hope you enjoyed! <strong>

**Laters!**


	3. Kill the Target

_**Chapter 2...**_

_"I know about almost every type of danger beast that exists on land. I trained my ass off to the point I coughed up blood. I was able to obtain and use an Imperial-Arms. I even practiced stealth take downs of various styles...yet.."_ Tatsumi was deep in thought as his anger was slowly building.

"Where's my seconds?"

"Are you almost finished?"

"I want extra meat."

"I'd like some more please."

"Me as well."

_"Why in gods name am I stuck cooking for these imbeciles!?" _Tatsumi was still wearing a cooking apron, as he was getting another serving of lunch prepped. He was sure they would have sent him out on assignment after a few days. But he was stuck cooking every night. He had a tick mark on his head as he turned with a awkwardly forced smile.

"Ju-just give me a second." He then went back to stirring a bowel and he scowled.

"Don't spit in the bowel, newbie." Mine said while she leaned back in her chair.

"I AIN"T SPITTIN'!" He said angrily. "Why am I suddenly cooking!? Isn't this Akam-DROP MY STEAK THIS INSTANT!" He turned to Akame and saw her chewing on it, as he threw a cooking knife, missing her while she ducked.

"It cam't beh herped. I'm usawly the ownwy won cwooking. (It can't be helped. I'm usually the only one cooking.)." She said with her mouth full.

"I bet its just so you can get to the food first." He said as he made an annoyed look.

"Awf cwourse nawt (Of course not)." She said as the steak hung from her mouth. It was really good steak, so good, she couldn't help but eat Tatsumi's.

_"No matter how you look at it, its not convincing in any way."_ He thought as he just sighed in defeat.

"Well that apron is befitting of a newbie like yourself." Mine said as she made a smug look.

"Urusai! I'll make you food that'll flatten your chest down from A cup , to non-existence, you pink big mouth!" He threatened.

"Wh-!? I am not an A-cup! How dare you talk all high and mighty, even though you just got here!" She said as she blushed and stood up and pointed at him in a threatening manner.

"The fact that your that flat is a sin itself! You kid, Little girl, Flatty!" He constantly fired insults at her making her grit her teeth.

"You...Mega pervert!" She said as she once again was trying to trounce him while being held back by Leone.

"Now Mine. You walked right into that one." Leone said as she nervously chuckled.

"Well, thanks for dinner! It's about time we got going everyone!" Bulat said and got up and grabbed his jacket. Everyone one else at the table got up and also followed him as Tatsumi was curious where they were going.

"Going somewhere?" He asked.

"Yep. We got called out for emergency assignment." Bulat explained.

"Huh? Then why am I not going with you?" He asked.

"The NEWBIE can stay here. Go back to chopping cucumbers, or whatever it is your only good for!" Mine said as she belittled him.

_"She's gonna be a pain in the ass as long as i'm here, right?" _Tatsumi thought, his eye twitching.

"Later~!" She waved as they left leaving Tatsumi with killing intent leaking out as he clenched his fist.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Elsewhere...<strong>_

Tatsumi was out outside with Akame as they stood in front of a waterfall. Tatsumi was at a loss for words as he just stared at it.

"..I assume there is a reason for dragging me out here?" He asked, turning to Akame.

"Our target is the Koga Tuna. This is the best place for catching them." She said as she started pulling her shirt up. Tatsumi then widened his eyes. Was she seriously stripping right here in front of hi..he then saw a white bikini she was in as she dropped her clothes.

"Oi Oi, I thought we were fishing." He said confused.

"Our prey is in the water." She said, and looked down. She then dove and dived down in the water as Tatsumi raised an eye brow. He then saw fish come flying out of the water and tried to catch them with the basket on his back. He was surprised she caught them so easily. He then saw her resurface.

"Dive down to the bottom and mask your presence. Then strike. Commitment is the key. Can you do it?" She asked. He simply blinked and lowered the basket and took his shirt off, and then dove.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Later...<strong>_

"In the end, she got one more than me." Tatsumi said to himself as he just sat the table and finished the meat off his tuna.

"Akame says you did pretty good. Nice job with getting the fish!" Leone said with a smile as Tatsumi just sat back and sighed.

"Well Leone, lets hear the mission request." Najenda asked Leone. She nodded and put two posters sketched with faces on the table.

"Our targets this time are Gamel, an oil merchant, and Ogre of the imperial police. According to our client, Gamel the merchant has been paying huge amounts of bribes to Ogre. Every time Gamel commits a crime, Ogre fabricates it with lies, and frames someone innocent. Her fiance was framed and murdered while those two were doing their business." She then reached down and put a bag of money on the table. "Here's the payment."

"Quite a bit." Tatsumi said.

"I sensed pain.." She said, then frowned and gripped her arms." She must have had to sell her body to get this much." Tatsumi just made an emotionless expression as he to disliked the fact the way the woman had to sell herself. Another reason he hated the corruption.

"Have you verified the case?" Najenda asked.

"I checked with my own eyes and ears. They're guilty."

"Very well. Night Raid accepts this request. We wont need any abhorrent garbage in the new country. We shall carry out divine punishment." She said as she lit herself another cigarette.

"Gamel should be easy, but Ogre will be a formidable opponent." She said with a serious tone. "Ogre the Demon. He's a highly skilled swordsmen that even criminals fear. Normally, he has himself surrounded by his lackeys, and is rarely alone. Additionally, he's cautious. When accepting the hush money, he invites Gamel to his room. When he's off duty, he's drinking at Main Street.

"But the police are strict in the vicinity of that place. Getting there will be tough for faces that have wanted posters, like Akame." Najenda noted.

"Hey, Hey! I'm not on any wanted posters!" Leone said as she raised her hand enthusiastically.

"You up to it?"

"The stronger the enemy, the more fired up I am!" Leone said confidently as she pumped her fist.

"Why not wait till Mine and the others get back?" Akame asked.

"There's no way of knowing when they'll get back." Tatsumi said. Akame nodded in agreement. "Why don't the three of us just do it?" He suggested.

"Oh? Are you saying you'll defeat Ogre?" Najenda said as she smiled.

"That's big talk Tatsumi, you better be prepared to take responsibility for those words." Leone said as she smiled at him.

"These aren't the same as other soldiers Tatsumi, this might be beyond you." Akame said, then took a sip from her cup.

"The only thing I see wrong is that nickname. If you think I can't deal with one meatbag that knows how to use a sword, then say it to my face." He said as he stated coldly towards Akame. She blinked for a moment as Leone could feel an uneasy atmosphere from him. He seemed to be a little pissed about something.

"..We aren't saying you can't kill Ogre, Tatsumi. I know you were the first person who got closer to the Prime Minister than anybody else. So, I will send you to eliminate Ogre. Akame and Leone will deal with Gamel." She said as she stood up and walked off.

"Roger." Akame said, and stood up.

"Oh Tatsumi." Najenda then turned before she left. "That Teigu that you retrieved. It's in your room when you're ready to leave."

"..I won't need it." He said as his hair foreshadowed his eyes. He got up and then put on his long brown coat and buttoned it, and went over to a rack with regular short swords, and took one. "I'll meet you there."

"Eeeh~? Why not just travel together? " Leone asked, much to her distress.

"I don't know if my wanted poster showed up there. If I accompany you, and people recognize me, then they will assume you're with me." He said as he slung the sword over his back and fastened it around his body. It rested horizontally on the bottom of his back. "Later." He said, and walked off.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Later in the capital...<strong>_

"I went around town for about an hour. Nobody seemed to be glancing, or paid me any unnecessary attention. I should be ok." Tatsumi said while he stood there with Leone.

"You have the location mapped out?" She asked.

"Its memorized." He said as he just stared emptily out at the crowd.

"Hey, Tatsumi.." She started to say as he turned to her. "You should know, its not like Akame doesn't trust you or anything. She told me that you handled yourself really well when you went to go grab your Teigu. But you should know about her past. Back when she was just a child, the Empire bought her and her sister. She, and other children with similar circumstances, were forced into a program for assassins, and were trained to kill. She survived that cruel experience. And she became an assassin that could fully carry out the capital's orders." She explained as he just maintained a blank expression."However, as Akame continued to fulfill missions, she began to sense the capitals darkness. And her target at the time was Boss. She persuaded her to defect and join the Revolutionary Army, that clearly fought for the people. But by this time, most of the comrades she grew up with were dead." She finished the story as Tatsumi just turned back to the crowd."I'm sure you understand what that's like." She said while she turned to him.

"..Maybe." He said, and walked past her. "I don't hate her or anything Leone...I was just frustrated because everyone was acting like I can't handle myself." He began walking towards the crowd before saying. "Good luck to you both."

"Heheh~! You too!" She said happily.

* * *

><p>"Tahh~! It feels good to have a drink after an intense interrogation." A burly man with a scar over his eye said while he walked through town.<p>

"Umm..excuse me sir."

"Heuh?" Ogre turned to see a young, cloaked man who was fidgeting and keeping his head down.

"Uh..Ah, here." He then clumsily pulled out a small piece of paper and read it. "I cornered a rat behind the..um..ch-church. Take care of it." He finished. "Um, a merchant told me to tell you this, and that you would give me..c-compensation?"

"Tch! I have to do everything for that idiot! Whatever kid, take this and beat it." Ogre said as he walked off towards the church. After he arrived at a dark alley, he looked around for the merchant. "Hey! Gamel! Where the hell are you!?" He roared. He scoffed and turned and then his eye met a young man right in front of him, it was the same boy from earlier. "I see now. I don't know how you know of our arrangement boy. But now I can't let you live!" He said as he drew his sword and charged after Tatsumi. Tatsumi then shot past him and slashed his torso, causing Ogre's blood to fly everywhere.

"S-such speed and power." He said as he fell. Tatsumi then slowly recomposed himself and stood up and kept his back to Ogre. "Get up meatbag. That little cut isn't enough to put you down." Tatsumi said, feeling Ogre's presence behind him. Tatsumi dodged his slashes as Ogre roared in defiance.

"To think that I, the great Ogre, could possibly be defeated by a measly twerp!" He brought his sword down and missed Tatsumi once again as his sword cracked the ground. Tatsumi just kept a stern look before he came at Ogre again and jumped as he brought his sword down on Ogre. Ogre attempted to block it, but it was a feint, as Tatsumi got under his guard, and slashed his arm off.

"YAAHHH! YOU FUCKING TW-" He didn't get to finish as Tatsumi quickly slashed his head off. _"T..to b..e..beaten..by a..twerp." _Were his last thoughts while his blood sprayed in arcs from Tatsumi's slashes. His head and corpse hit the ground. Tatsumi then simply sheathed his sword and walked calmly away.

"I guess I better return to base."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Night Raid headquarters...<strong>_

"Congratulations on defeating Ogre." Najenda said with smile.

"He wasn't much to be honest. That meatbag didn't even get a single strike in." He sighed. All of a sudden, Akame came over and grabbed his shirt. Tatsumi immediately grabbed her wrist with annoyance. "Oi." He simply said.

"I need to check for any signs of wounds." She simply said.

"But I didn't get wounded." He raised his eye brow.

"Lenoe, hold him."

"Roger~!" She grabbed him from behind and lifted his shirt off much to his annoyance.

"Hey, don't go stripping people!" He shouted. He then felt Akame drop his pants as his cheeks were a little red from embarrassment. "WHAT THE HELL AKAME!?" He shouted annoyed.

"Hmm.." Akame then began looking all over him and then stopped right in front of him. "Thank goodness." He then made a sound of surprise, as she smiled warmly. "A friend of mine died because he was too proud to report his wounds, and they were poisoned. Well done on your first mission, Tatsumi." She said as she offered him her hand as he just blinked and then took her hand slowly while looking away.

"First missions have a high fatality rate. So its very fortunate that you came out alive after this. With this, you are now officially one of us." Najenda said.

"I say this calls for a celebration! Hey Tatsumi, could you please make something to eat? I worked up quite a appetite out there~!" She said, then she grabbed him by his head and snuggled him close to her breast.

"O-Oi! Clothes, I need my freaking clothes!" He tried to say as she carried him off.

"That was a successful mission. Great job Akame." Najenda said. Akame then shook her head and smiled.

"My friends helped me get through it. I'm happy everyone came back alive." Najenda smiled once more and put out her cigarette.

"Lets keep it that way eh?" She said.

"Hai." Akame smiled while she nodded.

* * *

><p>Tatsumi was was cleaning dishes once again, since Leone had eaten her fill and drifted off to sleep on the couch. He was alone with his thoughts. He was thinking back to before he was caught up in this whole thing with Night Raid. He was simply wondering if this was really worth it. Would he really be able to get his revenge? Could he trust these people? They seemed okay. Granted they were a little..scratch that, they WERE weird. But they seemed to be respectable and caring for one another. They truly believed that they can change the Empire. Well, that would be great, but he just wanted to kill the son of a bitch that annihilated his village.<p>

"Tatsumi." He heard a voice behind him and saw Akame standing in the door way.

"I didn't make anymore food." He said, thinking that was her reason for coming to the kitchen.

"Its not that. I just wanted to say, good job."

"Eh, thanks." He said, turning back to the dishes.

"I hope you weren't upset earlier when I said that the target was beyond you. I apologize if I angered you." She said while bowing. Tatsumi then stopped and turned his head to the side. "You have nothing to apologize for. You just wanted to make sure I was capable, and didn't get cocky." He said turning back to the sink.

"N-not only that, but I wanted you to come back safely as well!" She quickly said. He then widened his eyes, and he stopped for a few moments.

"I..really care about all my comrades in Night Raid..so..I just wanted you to know that you are important as well." Tatsumi then, unknown to her, smiled and continued washing dishes. "I guess I was right to put my faith in you after all." He said, which made her look up at him with a sound of surprise. "I'll be counting on you in the future, comrade." He said, keeping his back to her. She then smiled warmly.

"Mm."

* * *

><p><em><strong>The next morning...<strong>_

Tatsumi was training in the yard. He had his Teigu with him, trying to focus. _"I'll master this damn thing, even if I hate it." _He thought. He then stabbed it in the ground in front of him. It then began emanating a green light, as greenish wind picked up and began blowing around him. He was then becoming engulfed inside a tornado. It blew upward and began sucking everything around inside it. Branches, rocks, and uprooted earth had been sucked into it. Tatsumi then slowly directed his sword in a circular fashion above him, as the top of the tornado began following the movements of the tip of the blade.

_**"Tornado!"** _He then directed the tornado in front of him as it blasted through the forest in front of him and ripped through the ground, and flinging trees in all directions. He then stopped and the wind around him calmed as he slowly sheathed the sword. He smiled a little. _"It's not perfect, but it'll do for now."_

"Tatsumi." He turned and saw Lubbock waving towards him.

"Yeah?"

"Miss Nejanda wanted you for something. Everyone is waiting."

"Hm?" Tatsumi raised his eyebrow curiously. What was it this time?

* * *

><p>"Good morning Tatsumi!" Bulat said as he came up and gave him a friendly pat (more like slap) on the back while greeting him.<p>

"You guys are back?" He asked.

"Yep! We traveled till dusk, then got some much needed rest. I heard from the boss that you were successful on your first mission! Great job with that!" He said as he put his hand on his shoulder.

"Eh, wasn't that bad. To be honest though, I was expecting more." He sighed.

"Ohh, I like your enthusiasm! Looks like you are going to fit in nicely around here!" Bulat laughed.

"If you two are done, we should get down to business." Najenda said. "Tatsumi, I found out some more about your Teigu, and figured you would want to know."

"Yeah? What do you know?" Tatsumi asked.

"The army sent me some more up-to-date details on Teigu, and I found out that its called _**The Jade Storm: Sky**** Ripper.**_"

"Heh, well that actually sums up this thing's capabilities." Tatsumi smirked, holding the sword up.

"I was correct about the material being from a Tempest's horn. It can control wind, and, as it's name implies, can rip through almost anything. It can control storms, and create shock waves of wind that can cut through things stronger than steel. Although, it's trump card hasn't been identified yet. But, i'm sure at some point you'll figure it out." She said with a friendly smile. Tatsumi just looked at it one last time and nodded. Another question then occurred to him.

"Just to clarify, you all use Teigu, right?" They all nodded.

"Yes. Every member of Night Raid has a Teigu of their own. Akame's sword is _**Murasame** _that can kill with just one cut. The blade has a deadly poison that quickly kills the target in mere seconds."

"Well, I guess that's handy."

"Not really. Its a nuisance, because I have to be careful when cleaning it." Akame said while she made a furrowed look.

"Ok, I guess not." Tatsumi said with a sweat drop.

"Next is _**Incursio.** _It covers the user in a nearly indestructible armor that endows enhanced speed and strength. Also is capable of turning the user invisible. But it gives a massive strain on someone who can't control it. Then there is _**Lionelle. **_It enhances all five senses, giving the user beast-like characteristics. It also has a regeneration ability. Then there's.." She went on explaining all the Teigu to him that each member possessed. He found it rather interesting. It was quite hard to believe that weapons like these exist.

"Hm. I wonder how many Teigu exist in all." He thought out loud.

"There was originally 48 in all. But half of them were destroyed and lost. Although, not much is known about these super weapons, or the people that created them." Najenda explained.

"A mystery indeed." Tatsumi then nodded, and walked off as he walked towards the outside door.

"Where are you going?" Leone asked curiously.

"Personal business I got to take care of. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Eeeh? Sounds suspicious." Leone said while looking at him with a narrowed look.

"I don't mind if you tag along. But i'm coming right back afterwards." He said as he exited.

"Now that was just shady." Mine said while folding her arms.

"..Let him go Leone." Najenda said as she puffed out smoke.

"Eh?"

"Tatsumi proved he can be trusted, so we should treat him just like a comrade. If he says he'll back, then we should believe him." She said.

"Are you sure about this?" Mine asked.

"I checked the murder out of Far Heshing. Looks like Tatsumi was telling the truth. The captain had a contact he met every few months, so the army sent in an impostor, and was playing him to figure out what he was selling the Empire. But Tatsumi killed him right when they were about to meet the real contact. So the army got pissed and took their frustration out on him. It was off the books though, so even the men he killed in self defense had no idea their superior was dirty." She explained.

"Well, I guess that explains why he had to run from them. Wait boss, how long did you know he was innocent?" Sheele asked curiously.

"About the time you guys busted him out. Although I wanted to double check."

"Eh!? Then why didn't you say anything? I was worrying the whole time for nothing then." Mine protested.

"I also found out why Tatsumi wants to get revenge."

"Eh?" Everyone said.

"Turns out the village he lived at was purged by a special unit led by the Prime Minister himself." Bulat then felt a frown take over his face as he looked down.

"Purges, huh? Can't say I blame him." Bulat said.

"Purges?" Lubbock asked curiously.

"Hai. Purges were the most ruthless thing a village could succumb to. Back when I was still in the army, the generals would send troops in to make villages surrender to the Empire. If they didn't submit, we were ordered to slaughter, and publicly humiliate the village, as a testament to those who defied the Empire. If the Prime Minister was part of that unit, it must have been ten times worse." He finished.

"And if that's not a reason to want to kill the Prime Minister, then I don't what is. He wants the same thing, although for a different reason, we're all wanting the corruption to end. And for that, Night Raid will deliver divine judgment to the trash that inhabit the Empire." Najenda stated. They all nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Elsewhere...<strong>_

Tatsumi was walking down the road in a forest. Keeping a stern expression and walking down the road. His Teigu was strapped horizontally on the bottom of his back, over his brown, long coat, as he felt wind currents from all directions. He hypothesized that the air currents were easy to read because of his Teigu. Slowly, day by day, the Teigu was becoming more in tune with him. Perhaps he was going about using it all wrong. He was never able to generate a tornado when he was on his own. Perhaps spending time with these assassins was slowly making him able to unlock the potential of the Teigu. Was the Teigu affected by his emotional state? His subconscious? Perhaps his heart? He could only guess as he walked down the road.

He was still walking when he then noticed a silhouette approaching from down the road. He narrowed his eyes, trying to identify what it was while walking towards it. It was human. A woman, with long blue hair. Her skin looked pale white. She kept a long rapier on the back of her waist. Her outfit clearly indicated some air of superiority about her. Her eyes also were blue, gentle, but cold. He was curious, but decided to ignore her and try to make little to no eye contact, as he kept his head down, his brown hair shadowing his eyes.

The woman seemed to notice him, but barely glanced. She kept walking normally until the two were close to each other. They passed each other, but right before it happened, Tatsumi felt the air around her was cold. It was the kind that sent chills down your spine when someone was dangerous. It was killing intent, which instinctively made him grab his sword handle. She then paused about a few feet away from him as she then turned her gaze toward the boy.

"You. Have you no respect for proper etiquette? You are to respect a general of the Empire with a bow and greeting." She said in a cold tone that sounded a bit annoyed. Who the hell was this woman? Tatsumi then just continued on, ignoring her and walking. He didn't give a shit if she was the King, he bowed to no man..or woman.

"Good for you, now stop bothering me." He said in a cold tone as he walked on.

"Hoh? A defiant one I see." A devilish smirk then made it to her face as she drew her rapier."I shall escort you to the torture chamber, little man. Maybe after an hour you'll learn not to defy me." Tatsumi felt the same killing intent she gave off in that last brief moment. This time it flowed out of her like she was possessed by Satan himself. He stopped and then turned to her with a cold gaze of his own. This woman didn't seem to be intimidated at all. She felt no killing intent from him whatsoever. Did he think glaring at her was supposed make her back down.

She knew children that gave off a more threatening aura.

"I'm not looking to fight the Empire's bitch." He said still locking gazes with her.

"I see. Maybe after breaking your body down to its very soul, i'll personally rip that insolent tongue out, little man." She seemed annoyed and strangely impressed that he didn't run away. He had good, cold eyes like her. He didn't seem angry, or scared stiff, just simply annoyed. Perhaps she would toy with him for a bit.

"Keep your words, show me your steel." Tatsumi said as the two stood their ground.

"Interesting. You might prove to be a satisfying toy, little man." She said while smiling.

"I'm not your toy." He said as he drew his sword. She eyed the sword he had and thought it looked strange.

"That sword looks interesting. I've never seen craftsmen ship like that before." She noted.

"Really? I don't really like it."

"And why is that?" She asked.

"Find out." He then jumped and shot towards her. He first brought his sword down as a feint, which she blocked. He then ducked and swiped for her arm, but she blocked that as well, but he wasn't done yet. He then spun around and blasted her back with a strong wind. She was a bit surprised as she slid back, barely fazed by the attack. Tatsumi charged her again and began swiping at her from all directions that no normal person would be able to read. But she was blocking them all, and then got into a sword lock with him, as he glared at her.

"Well whats this? A Teigu user, and you handle your self pretty well." She praised and smiled gently. "Show me more, little man."

"Grrhh!" He grunted and began slashing even faster, as she side stepped and elbowed him in the back of the head. He then hit the ground face first. Surprised she was able react. He then quickly jumped back up. He then charged her again. He slashed once more at her horizontally, but she jumped and avoided it. She then pointed her sword toward his face, mere inches away from him. He froze for a moment, and then backed away from her quickly.

_"She's just screwing with me."_ Tatsumi thought, feeling a cold drop of sweat. Never in the longest time had he been that close to another's blade.

"Come, let me give you a fitting death." She said while smiling, amused.

"You're some kinda monster lady." He said readying his sword. "Okay, lets try this." He then swiped his sword and jetted toward her. She simply smiled. She then slashed his body, he didn't even see it coming, seeing as how he didn't even move. But all of the sudden, Tatsumi vanished in the air. Her eyes had a stern look. _"A clone?" _She thought. She was right, as Tatsumi shot at her again.

"Interesting. You handle that Teigu rather well boy." She said as she blocked his strike close to her face."And you keep going for my head. You really do know to kill a person." She praised him once more as he just grunted. She was stronger then he anticipated. But that wasn't going to stop him. He charged with his constant assault. She just parried his blows while getting more and more amused.

"Come! More! Dance for me more!" She said while her grin grew bigger._ "_This is quite a duel little man. I never thought you would still be sta-"

She blocked several strikes from him, but then was shocked. He had a dark red glint in his eye, as he lounged at her face, barely making a small slit on her pale cheek. He maintained his cold look, as he stared her dead in the eyes. His eyes clearly saying he was going for the kill.

He then jumped back and readied himself once more. She then felt her cheek with a hand, and then looked at it with a foreshadowed look. He had just barely cut her. That alone was a shock. She put her hand on the ground, and a bunch of spiked shape ice was coming out of the ground and heading towards Tatsumi. He widened his eyes and rolled to the side just barely dodging it. He then looked back at her with a surprised look. She was smiling. Why was she smiling?

"..I've never been cut before. Not in the longest time, has any man been able to so much as scratch my visage!" She had the look of a demon about her. Tatsumi was surprised that ice randomly came out of the ground. Was she using a Teigu as well? "My blood is boiling..I feel..excitement?" She then made a dark, amused, gentle smile. "What is your name young man?"

"Tatsumi." He said panting.

"I see. It is a good name. I praise you for being able to at least hold your ground."

"I admit you're a cut or two above other meatbags." Tatsumi said as he kept his eyes on her.

"Hmph." She lightly scoffed as she then came at Tatsumi. He blocked two of her blows, but the third had made him stumble back, giving her the opportunity to trip him and made him fall to the ground. She then got on top of him, straddling him while holding her swords edge to his throat. He made blank look at her. He lost. No way in hell could he match her. She got him down in just a few seconds! Who the hell was this!?

"My name is Esdeath. " She said while smiling at him with an amused look.

"Esdeath..." He slowly said the name to himself...All of a sudden, he realized he was staring into the eyes of the most strongest general the Empire had.

_"Wait I've heard that na-..Oh shit."_

"I will make you mine, Tatsumi." She said with a bit of a pink on her cheeks, as she gently smiled at him.

"W-what?"

* * *

><p><strong>Oh boy! How will Tatsumi get out of this one? ReadReview/Vote!**

**Laters!**


	4. Kill the Memories

_**Chapter 3...**_

Tatsumi just stared back into the the blue orbs of the most dangerous, and strongest general the Empire ever had. He kept trying to figure out a way to get out of this. Lets go over the current situation. She was sitting on him, effectively pinning him to the ground. She had her sword's edge on his throat, meaning any slight movements would separate his head from his shoulders. He had her undivided attention, and no one was around. If he only he had a moment's break, he could probably ditch this crazy, strong woman.

"You are quite skilled. I never had anyone fight me as hard as you." Esdeath praised him more, as she stared into his eyes.

"Praising me will get you no where." He responded as he kept a cold look to her.

"It would seem so. I believe you have quite a bit of potential in you. Which is why I think i'll take you back with me to the capital." She said as she removed her sword from his neck.

"What? Why?" He asked confused.

"I told you didn't I? I will make you mine."

"What..exactly did you mean by that?" He was getting a bad feeling about this.

"Mmhmhm~! I always wanted to try my hand in love. I think you match who I want perfectly." She giggled.

"Love?...I don't quite understand what you mean. Are you going to kill me or not?" He was sounding confused. Esdeath then suddenly grabbed him and hugged him close to her breasts, stroking his hair, ignoring the fact she was practically suffocating the guy.

"Its alright Tatsumi. I don't understand it that well either. But, that is what makes us perfect for each other." She blushed as she smiled.

"WMMvvvaafffMMrrgghh!? (What the fuck are you doing!?)" He tried to protest, but was muffled by her large bosom. He then gasped her air as he looked up at her with annoyance. "I don't know where you get this idea about me being your ideal person. I just tried to kill yo-Mmf!" She then slowly leaned in and kissed him, which surprised him. He then pushed himself away from her face, holding his arm in front of his face. He was blushing, as he held an arm in front of his face. "Are you even listening to a word i'm saying!?" He shouted with a tick mark.

"The fact you are capable of forcing me to use my Teigu, is an astonishing feat itself. I don't want you to hate me Tatsumi, rather.." She then hugged him once more. "..I want to be the one person you feel most comfortable, and safest with." Tatsumi just made an emotionless expression.

"..No one can make me feel safe." He said as she then made a sad look. "It would seem you do not trust me yet." She then smiled again. "But I am not weak like everyone else. I can protect you." She said in an assuring tone.

"It doesn't matter at this point. You might as well kill me now. I lost faith in people long before I trusted them. People are weak." He said in a firm tone.

"I agree. Humans are weak. But the strong are the ones who live on." She said as she made a dark smile. "I am not one of these..meatbags, as you say. I am above that, and beyond."

"..I admit you beat me. But it doesn't change what I've done against the Empire. I go back to that capital, they'll fill me with arrows before I get twenty miles within that place."

"I won't let them kill you. As I said, I will be the person you feel most safe around." She simply smiled gently.

"I tried to kill the Prime Minister. I think that signs my death warrant." He said, thinking she would give up with this whole love crap.

"What of it?" She said with a cold expression, he then felt a cold drop of sweat.. "If Honest so much as laid a finger on you, I would kill him on the spot." She was serious. Her words did not even betray her expression. "He uses me, I use him. A sort of give and take if you will. No, I will see to it, your charges are dropped. Join me Tatsumi." She said as she got off him and stood over him, with a hand extended to help him up. He simply stood up, ignoring her hand. He stared her dead in the eyes.

"There is something you should know about me, lady."

"Call me Esdeath." She smiled.

"Esdeath...Up until now, I have been hunted by the Revolutionary Army, and the Empire. And I am only alive because I trusted no one. If I started trusting people, I could lose my life. I only have one goal, which I will not let anyone get in the way of. That's why.." He then grabbed his sword off the ground and struck it in the ground. "I will kill anything, or anyone who stands with him!" _**"Tornado!"** _A giant, greenish cyclone engulfed them both.

"Tch, I'm not so naive i'd fall for a smoke screen." She then put her hand on the ground, and a large pillar of ice shot out of the ground, and the cyclone vanished. Tatsumi then came at her with a slash. But she knew this clone was a distraction as well, and simply ran through it, and got to the edge of the ice pillar. She thought he might be running down the road, but he was gone. She then jumped down and hit the ground, kicking up dirt as she scanned the forest around her.

_"He got away?...Damn, you are crafty Tatsumi. I didn't even sense your killing intent." _She cursed the fact that he was able to make a getaway so fast. It was weird, because she felt no blood lust anywhere near her, something she prided herself on sensing. It's like he didn't have any to begin with..or he just kept it in check. She was scratched, and the person who did it got away. Never in her life has this happened. A smile then made it to her face.

"I think..I might be falling for you after all, Tatsumi. If I see you again, I won't let you escape." She then sheathed her sword and chuckled. Her sight was now set on making Tatsumi hers, no matter what. She always got what she wanted. Patience was all that she needed. She would run into him once again. She believed that, as she caressed the small slit on her cheek, and had a tinge of pink around it.

* * *

><p>"(Gasp), (gasp), son of a bitch that was close." Tatsumi panted. It was dumb luck he was able to get away from her. He had to be quick and time everything perfectly. He thought a simple distraction like that was too obvious, but she saw through his second one as well. He was positive she wouldn't fall for the same thing twice in a row. He had an angel watching over him, or it was just the Devil's luck that he managed to escape Esdeath. If Satan had a wife, she'd be a candidate. He's heard stories about how ruthless, and dominating she was with prisoners..no, more like meat for the excruciatingly, slow, painful grinder, as he would describe it. Although, he had come to respect the strength she showed. Her movements were not that of a human, but a demon. And that ice..how did she do that?<p>

_"I'm almost there..I better move it before it gets dark._ He then hurried through the brush to his destination.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Later...<strong>_

It was now night time as Tatsumi was heading through the forest. He had been traveling all day, and was starting to get tired. He then happened upon a small deserted camp. It was what remained after a fire from long ago. Tatsumi then slowly walked through the camp, and looked around all that remained. He then stopped. He came upon a black tent, as he looked and flashed back.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Flashback...<em>**

"Aw, c'mon Tatsumi. It's getting cold outside." A girl with long black hair said as she was staring directly at him.

"I'm going back out." Tatsumi said as he brushed her off.

"You barely spend anytime with us. I even went to the extent of cooking tonight." She said with a pout.

"Just let him go Sayo. He only thinks about killing danger beasts. You'll be lucky if you get him to even smell it." A young man said sitting at the table.

"Master wanted me for something. He said it was important." Tatsumi said as he was emotionless.

"At least eat first. You need to warm up, its getting really cold out there." She insisted.

"I'll be back before it gets cold." Tatsumi said as he left. Sayo just sighed sadly. She worried about him when ever he was on his own.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Flashback end...<strong>_

Tatsumi just blinked and walked on, passing up the tent that had dishes partially buried in the ground. His stomach growled at the memory. He was hungry that day when she wanted him to eat. He just kept walking and then looked over at a knocked over bell. It fell over and was smashed into countless pieces. He had a flashback again at the sight.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Flashback...<strong>_

"Evacuate! Evacuate! The royal guard is approaching!" A man ringing the bell shouted as many people below him were running and grabbing things while screaming.

"Evacua-!" The man then was hit with an explosive, as the top of the bell tower had fell from an artillery blast. The bell came down with a loud "gong" and shattered. The man yelling for evacuation was crushed, and disfigured beyond recognition.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Flashback end...<strong>_

Tatsumi just sighed and kept walking. He looked up at a small cottage on the hill and began walking towards it. After a few minutes he was at the entrance. He opened the door as it creaked. It then suddenly broke off from disrepair, and came down with a loud thud that scared off some mice. He then chuckled. "You should have just fixed your own crap instead of having me do it." He flashed back once more.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Flashback...<strong>_

"Get hammering ya' little bastard! After this, you got sword forging to do!" A gruff man yelled sheepishly.

"You know this wouldn't happen if you didn't keep kicking the door open all the time." Tatsumi said while putting the finishing touches on the new door that he was building.

"Aw shat' awp! (Hic), I gotta make entrances, otherwise the ladies won' pay me mind!" He took another drink of wine.

"Kicking doors in is not exactly a way to say "Look at me i'm a badass". More like "Why the hell did you break my door?" Tatsumi said as he kept hammering away.

"I'll give you a hand if you need it." A young man said outside a window to Tatsumi.

"I got it Ieyasu. Just keep chopping the wood with Sayo." He kindly refused.

"You don't have to keep everything for that nut in prime condition. Get off your ass and give him a hand, you old drunk!" Ieyasu yelled at the drunk man.

"Zip it pipsqueak! (hic). Ya'll would do best to take a lesson from Tatsumi! You don't see him complaining!" He pointed to him.

"If you break this again, you're fixing it on your own...Yosh, just gotta put the-" Tatsumi said as he picked up the new door and propped it on the new hinges. He brushed his hands and no sooner had he put the door on, the man ran up and kicked it open..or rather kicked it off the hinges, and sent the door flying towards the pile of stacked wood that Sayo and Ieyasu spent an hour piling up, only for it all to go rolling downhill.

"Aw, Tatsumi, (hic), this door sucks. Put a new one on there."

"I didn't put the rods in yet." He pinched his nose in frustration.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THE WOOD!?" Ieyasu yelled in disbelief.

"Tatsumi's fault. Crappy door maintenance, (hic)." The old man said drunkly.

"DOORS ARE MEANT FOR OPENING CASUALLY! NOT KICKED, YOU DUMBASS DRUNK!" Sayo drop kicked him angrily. "That's it! You're fixing your own door from now on! Tatsumi, lets go get some lunch!" She pouted and grabbed Tatsumi by the hand and dragged him along.

"Oi, Tatsumi." Tatsumi then stopped and looked back at the old man, who despite looking beat up, had a serious look on his face. "Meet me tonight. Something I need to talk to you about." Tatsumi blinked and nodded. He was then yanked off by Sayo, as she huffed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Flashback end...<strong>_

Tatsumi just smiled a little and turned away and left the cottage. He then walked up to three headstones that laid just outside the little house. He then bent down on one knee and faced the graves.

"I must be kinda weird talking to stones and corpses. But I guess I thought I would give it a try." He began to say. "I know that you all are probably watching me from up there, so you must also know what I have been up too. I think." He smiled sadly and chuckled a little. "So I guess this is me saying...sorry I didn't come back down to eat. The geezer here wanted me to use this damned thing, and I guess you all died wanting to protect it. I won't let your deaths be in vain. You all were weak...But that doesn't mean I didn't like you guys." He then clenched his fist. "I'm sorry I didn't come help you. I can only kill that bastard, and hope that I can find some peace." He said as he stopped clenching his fist.

"Goodbye, Ieyasu. Goodbye old man. Goodbye..Sayo." He then stood up and took a deep breath, and let it out. A sudden breeze came by Tatsumi as he lifted his head and stared up at the moon hanging in the sky.

"..A storm is coming." He said to himself as he felt a tear escape his eye. He then headed back down the mountain, as thunder could be heard in the distance. Now that that was out of the way, no more distractions. He was now feeling more content. He would work his way to the Prime Minister...and kill any meatbags dumb enough to stand in his way. He looked back one more time at the place his fallen comrades were laid to rest, and then nodded. He felt better after saying all that. He thought it was kinda weird, and pointless to talk to gravestones. He never did it for his parents because he thought there was no point in talking to something that wouldn't talk back. But Sayo and Ieyasu told him that even if they didn't talk back, doesn't mean they weren't listening.

He then headed back as he walked through the destroyed village once more.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Morning...<strong>_

Tatsumi had finally just got back to Night Raid's base, and was contemplating on what he should do afterwards. But right as he was walking, he thought he felt killing intent scattered in several places around him. He stopped and looked around, narrowing his eyes. He then saw someone running towards him.

"Tch, out of my way you little shit!" The man then pounced toward Tatsumi with an ax. Tatsumi quickly jumped towards him and kicked him in the face, knocking him back. The man then hit the ground. Tatsumi landed and stayed composed as he stared at him.

"Damn it! I'm getting out of here! Even Night Raid won't stop me!" He got up and began running away from Tatsumi, but then suddenly..

_**"Storm Edge."** _A arc of wind then jetted at the man and then went through the man's body vertically, slicing him in two. Tatsumi then simply sheathed the sword as the man's split corpse made a disgusting plop when it hit the ground. He then wondered if it really was okay to kill the guy. Aw fuck it. If the guy tried to kill him, then too bad.

"Tatsumi." He then turned to Akame who looked like she was chasing the man down.

"Hey." He simply said. "What the hell is going on around here?"

"Intruders. We're all dealing with them." She said. She then looked over and noticed the person she was chasing, split in two. "..Did you kill him?" She asked him.

"No, he tripped and fell." He said sarcastically.

"I see. Good job Tatsumi." She thanked him.

"It's not over yet." The two then looked over to a brush, where several men jumped out and headed towards them with the intent to kill.

"It's just two brats! Lets take em' and get out of here!" The leader shouted.

"I call dibs on the girl!"

"No way, I spotted her first!" They argued as they closed in on the two. Tatsumi and Akame just narrowed their eyes, and suddenly before the men knew it, they were slashed, and decapitated before they even so much as landed a blow to their swords. Tatsumi stood parallel to Akame, as they both whipped the blood off their swords.

"UUUAAAHHHHHHH! I KNOW THEY RAN THIS WAAAYYY!...Oh, looks like i'm a little late, eheheh!" Bulat came roaring, and running out from the bushes in Incursio's body armor. But he noticed that Akame and Tatsumi already dealt with the men.

"Bulat? Is that you?" Tatsumi asked curiously.

"Heheh, didn't recognize me, eh Tatsumi? This is what Incursio's body armor looks like. Aren't I just cool?" He then posed with light shining down on him.

"Y-yeah, sure." Tatsumi sweat dropped.

"Well, I dealt with the other ten that came in from the west, Sheele and Mine should have taken care of the south. And Leone.."

"Here~!" She then came in dropping from the sky, as if on cue.

_"What's with the dramatic entrances?" _Tatsumi wondered.

"I got the two that ran north!..Oh, Tatsumi~!" She then came over and grabbed Tatsumi snuggling him close to her chest. "We were wondering when you were gonna come back. I was about to go and search for you, but then we had to deal with the intruders." She said as she let Tatsumi go.

"I said I was coming right back." He said in an annoyed tone.

"Hehehe~!" She simply stuck her tongue out and winked.

"..Now that that I think about it, you look different." Tatsumi noted.

"Ah yeah, hold on." She then exhaled a all of a sudden her hair shortened, and her features slowly turned more human then animal. "_**Lionelle** _gives me more animal-like characteristics. But don't worry~! Onee-san's still the same as before~!" She said as she smiled happily.

"O-Onee-san?" Tatsumi sweat dropped once more.

"Oh look who's back." Lubbock said as he came over to them. "Came back in the nick of time too. These guys were everywhere." He chuckled.

"Did we get all of them?" Akame asked.

"Yeah. Nothing else has disturbed my threads around the camp. We should be in the clear."

"Mission complete then. Lets return and report to the boss." Akame told everyone.

* * *

><p>"Good work everyone. With this, no one will know where our hideout is." Najenda said with a smile, while she smoked.<p>

"It was no problem. Those guys weren't much." Mine scoffed.

"You all can take the day off. So enjoy yourselves until then." She got up and was about to leave."Oh Tatsumi, were you able to take care of your business?"

"...Yeah." He said with a slight smile.

"That's great. I'll see you all tomorrow." She then left the room.

"..Well, I guess i'll get started on cooking something to eat." Sheele said. Everyone except Tatsumi was suddenly shocked, as their mouths hung wide open.

"H-hey Sheele, why don't you have Tatsumi help you out?" Bulat suggested as he sweated nervously.

"But, he just got ba-" She began to say, but was interrupted.

"He-he can deal with it! Besides, it would go a lot faster if he helped, plus he knows how to cook and all." Mine tried to reason. They all looked at Tatsumi, expecting to save them from the horrors known as Sheele's Cooking.

"Sigh..." Tatsumi sighed and went towards the kitchen. "Give me an hour."

* * *

><p><em><strong>20 minutes later...<strong>_

_"I swear, I always get the shittier end of the stick." _Tatsumi thought. Although it didn't bother him that much. He just thought of it as a way to get used to cooking. He was then wondering if maybe he should have told them about the encounter with Esdeath...Naw, what were the odds of running into that crazy-strong woman? He looked at his hand for a moment. _"...I need to get stronger. If that sort of woman is the strongest in the Empire, then if I can surpass her, I should be able to kill Hon-Hm?" _He then looked back and saw Sheele peeking from the door.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"Oh..I was just wondering if you needed any help." She chuckled.

"Thanks, but don't worry. I work a lot faster on my own." He said as she the frowned a little.

"I..I see."

"..Although..I do need someone to chop vegetables if you're not busy." He offered as he turned back to what he was cooking. She then made a sound of surprise.

"Oh, alright then." She said as she happily came in. After a few minutes, she was chopping away. Tatsumi then went to go check to see how she did, then made sound of disbelief.

"What the..?"

"I forgot to mention..I'm a bit of an airhead..and I tend to mess things up." She rubbed her head as she sadly smiled.

"Uh, no...you cut the cutting board..and somehow missed the carrots all together."

"Sorry. There's a lot of things i'm not good with. I tend to mess up no matter what I try to do." She said as Tatsumi listened.

"I see. Is this why everyone didn't want you to cook?"

"I'm sorry. You get stuck doing all these things that trouble you. I wish you didn't have to be stuck doing this for me." She said in an apologetic tone. Tatsumi just blinked. He then pulled out another cutting board and knocked the other one off the table and into a barrel. He then grabbed the carrots and put them on and then grabbed the knife, and looked at Sheele.

"The trick is to keep this end of the knife pointed at the board. Then just bring it down like this." He then cut a piece off, and handed her the knife. She then tried copying what he did. Tatsumi then put his hand on hers and then slowly helped her motion her hand. "Remember to hold it firmly like this."

"R..right." She blushed a little while looking at his hand. It was warm. He may have been short, but his hand was almost as big as hers.

"Sheele?" He asked.

"Huh?" She then made a sound of surprise as she snapped out of her thoughts.

"I said try it on your own now." He said as he let go and she nodded and tried to slice the vegetables. She then finally was able to cut the carrots nice and neat.

"See? All there is to it." Tatsumi said as he put his hand on his hip."Next is potatoes."

"Um.."

"What?" He asked.

"C-could you show me how to cut them as well?" She asked with a fidget. Tatsumi realized the face she was making was a bit..innocent? That was the word right?

"Uh, sure? _Why's she in a good mood?" _He wondered. She smiled and thanked him warmly, as the two prepared the food. Tatsumi glanced over to her, and thought she looked a bit more happy as she smiled. He wondered if..Naw. That would be weird to ask anyway.

_"How does one smile like that?" _He wondered.

* * *

><p><strong>ReadReview/Vote! I've decided I want to focus on one story at a time. So I probably will update the Dragon and the Mermaids fic more often just to get it finished and to not leave it hanging forever. I want to actually finish a story, and hear all about how it made the audience feel. So there you have it! **

**Laters!**


	5. Kill your Weakness

_**Chapter 4...**_

"MMmgh.." Tatsumi was slowly moving around in bed. It was now morning and he was stirring in his sleep. He was having a hard time always waking up early then he usually did. Probably because of the lack of comfort. He slept on the ground most of the time when he was on his own, and he always was ready to go when he woke up. But he decided it wouldn't hurt to take advantage of this situation. He slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a bright light coming in from the window out in the hall. Didn't he shut the door last night? _"Arrrgh..damn it, forgot to shut the door."_ He was then getting up and he felt like his legs touched something.

He immediately looked down and saw a letter on top of his sheets. He sat up and opened it up and read it ._"Your payment has been taken care of, and will be deposited in one of our banks that a contact takes care of. If you need to make a withdrawal, say to the man who wears a red scarf, "Red as blood." He'll respond with "Blue is in season." Then put your right hand on the counter. Keep up the good work Tatsumi. Oh, meet me in the capital when you wake up and read this message. That church you killed Ogre at, i'll be around there. Najenda" _Tatsumi then put it aside and yawned. He got up then got dressed. He then headed out into the hallway where he ran into Lubbock.

"Hey Tatsumi!" He greeted.

"Morning Lubbock." He yawned once more.

"You heading out somewhere?" He asked curiously, noting he was already wearing his boots and buttoned up coat.

"Yeah, looks like i'm heading out to the capital." Tatsumi answered.

"You're already on top of things, eh?" Lubbock snickered.

_"Assassins must be more laid back then I thought.."_ Tatsumi thought before he walked past him. He then made a noise of surprise and turned back to Lubbock. "Oh yeah, where is the bank where we deposit our funds in?"

"Oh, it's Ragen. Little village right next to the capital, right outside the walls. Why, need some money?"

"No, its just the boss didn't tell me where it was when she wrote me the lett-"

"WHAT!?" Lubbock shouted in shock. He then ran up to Tatsumi and was practically biting his head off. "A LETTER!? WHAT LETTER!? SINCE WHEN DOES MISS NAJENDA WRITE LETTERS WHEN SHE COULD JUST TELL YOU IN PERSON?!"

"What hell are you spouting?" Tatsumi asked irritated.

"WHAT DID THE LETTER SAY!?" He demanded.

"Just to meet her in the capital. Would you let go of me already!?" He pushed Lubbock off him and grunted in annoyance.

"SHE'S NEVER WRITTEN A LETTER TO ANYONE HERE FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER!"

"Maybe she was in a hurry, look it doesn't matter. I gotta go."

"HOLD IT!" He ran ahead of Tatsumi and was blocking the exit. "What do you intend to do once you get there!?"

"I don't know! Go read the damn thing yourself if you're that worried about it!" Tatsumi shouted as he tried to walk ahead.

"Hold it! One last thing!" He then pointed at Tatsumi in a threatening manner as a green aura of killing intent appeared behind him."Just so you know, I called dibs on Miss Najenda first! I don't mind if its Akame or Leone, Sheele or even Bulat! But stay the FUCK away from Miss Naj-" Tatsumi then grabbed Lubbock's finger and then comically made it snap.

"OOW! Are you for real!? You dislocated my finger!" He had tears streaming down his eyes as he looked at his crooked appendage in disbelief. Tatsumi just walked off with a tick mark on the back of his head and said. "Shut it! I don't got time for your bullshit melodrama!" He scowled as he made his way out the door.

"That was uncalled for~!" Lubbock whined comically as he tried to straighten out his finger.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Later in the capital...<strong>_

"Sigh, what was with Lubbock this morning?" Tatsumi just sighed in a frustrated manner, curious to his fellow assassin's behavior. Was he sleeping with the boss or something? He noticed Lubbock's gazes at Najenda were a lot more attentive then when he caught him trying to peep on Akame and Leone during their bathing hours. The guy was honestly kinda pathetic in his opinion. He witnessed Lubbock's Teigu the day before, during one of Tatsumi's training sessions. He could use it pretty good, but wires were kinda far-fetched in his opinion. He much preferred blades and daggers, then tricky methods to take out an enemy. But a Teigu was a Teigu.

_"Wonder what the boss wanted? Actually..isn't it kinda stupid to meet out in-"_

"Tatsumi." He then whipped around and he saw Najenda wearing a nun costume that covered her whole body. Tatsumi noticed that her robotic arm wasn't attached to her side.

"Boss? Is that you?" Tatsumi asked.

"Yeah. I had to leave the arm back at base so I wouldn't draw any unnecessary attention." She said as she came up to him.

"I see. So what did you need?" He asked.

"I needed an escort when I meet a contact. It's secluded from prying eyes, but it's a perfect spot for an ambush. So since I can't defend myself that well, I needed one of you to come help me."

"What the hell is Lubbock doing?" Tatsumi asked.

"He's waiting for our supplies to get delivered at the base, and everyone else went to go investigate a certain place. Lets go, its about time we met the informant." She said as she leaded the way. They walked for a few minutes not saying a word. "So..Tatsumi." She broke the silence.

"Hm?" He asked, as he followed close behind.

"Are you adjusting to Night Raid pretty well?"

"Hard to say. Akame is a glutton, Lubbock is a pervert, Leone's..Leone." He shook his head. "Sheele is an airhead, Mine's ranting gives me a headache, and I think Bulat has a thing for me." He profiled them as Najenda laughed silently.

"Well if you know them that well, you must be."

"That's.." He grunted a little.

"You seem to work well with Akame. She says you're a strong person." She said as Tatsumi walked up beside her.

"I wonder about that." Tatsumi said as he kept his eyes attentive of their surroundings.

"I think you'll fit in just fine. Just back each other up, and you'll come back in one piece. Which reminds me, theirs a certain mission that I want you, and everyone to take care of."

"Mission?" Tatsumi repeated.

"I'll tell you more about it when we get back. Our meeting point is up ahead. I want you to get in position in case something goes wrong." She said as she turned to him and made a serious look. "I'll be counting on you to back me up Tatsumi." She then headed off towards another part of the district as Tatsumi just made an emotionless look. He then looked at his hand and remembered something.

_"I..just wanted you to know that you are important as well!"_

Akame's words just stuck in his head. Only one other person said that about him. And that person was dead. He then slowly clenched his fist and looked at the boss one last time.

_"...Not really, Akame..Not really.." _He thought before he then disappeared from the crowd.

* * *

><p>We find Najenda at the meeting point, standing and waiting for the contact. She was cautiously scanning the area around her. If anything looked off, she was out of there. It was hard enough to get back into the city without alerting anybody about her identity. This contact had better be damn worth it, she hoped. She wasn't sure if Tatsumi was in position yet, but whether he did or not was also something she wanted to verify. She wanted to trust him and let him go on missions with everyone. But he didn't seem to be much of a team player. From what she got from Akame, he practically did things on his own half the time. Yes, this was one last test to see if she could really trust the young man.<p>

"..Who ever that is in the shadows, come out." She called out. A figure slowly emerged to be a man covered in a dark brown cloak, as he approached her.

"A-are you General Najenda?" He asked with a stutter.

"Yes, now please make this quick, I can't stay in the capital long. From what I here, your people wanted to join the Revolutionary Army's cause. Why?" She quickly asked.

"..." He remained silent.

"Answer! I can't stay long." She said in a more authoritative tone.

"F-forgive me." He said apologetically. Najenda then narrowed her eye behind him and saw the glint of a..scope!

_"Riflemen!? It was a set up!" _

"Please understand! They got to us first and said they would keep us safe if we brought them one of the Revolutionary Army's top generals! We had no choice, please just surrender quietly." He almost look like he was gonna freak out.

"You're a fool Zardnic! The Empire is just going to massacre your people regardless if you bring me to them or not." Najenda argued.

"SILENCE!" He then pulled out a small concealed pistol and held it at Najenda's face. "Must you really fight!? This whole revolt is just tearing the kingdom apart! The people are scared! Those who turn against the Empire are just mere fodder! We must try to get the forgiveness of the Ki-UGh!" He then stopped talking as Najenda made a sound of surprise. He then fell face first and hit the ground. He had a knife sticking out of his back.

"Aggh!" The gunmen behind the rifle yelped, but was silenced. Tatsumi then came out and walked towards the dead man and grabbed and pulled his knife out of his lifeless corpse.

"He had another two on the roof tops. He was going to kill you and offer you up to the Empire by the looks of it." He said as he wiped the man's blood off his knife on his clothes and sheathed it.

"..This is getting worse. We keep getting more and more fake allegiances with these lesser villages. They're too scared to stand up and fight the might of the Empire. Everyday we're risking our lives for their sake, but we can't even trust the people now." She frowned as she looked at the man's body.

"People are too scared to fight back. All they think about...is death." Tatsumi said as he bent down and examined the man's clothes. "People are weak." He furrowed his look and pulled out a letter from the dead mans coat. "Boss." He said as he handed her a paper by the looks of it.

"..Damn." She cursed as she threw the paper on the ground. "It's signed by the prime minister's signature. Whatever Zardnic was promised, he's certainly not getting it. If his village isn't destroyed now, it soon will be." She said as Tatsumi just glanced down at the seal on the note.

"What do we do?" Tatsumi asked.

"Sigh...For now, lets head back to base. I don't want to hang around here any longer." She said as she walked on ahead. Tatsumi took one last look at the man he killed and just walked after Najenda thinking, _"..You guys..were weak." _

* * *

><p><strong><em>Later...<em>**

Tatsumi and Najenda were almost to the hideout, but decided to rest for a few minutes. Tatsumi got a fire going and was tossing twigs on it as he fiddled with them in his hands. He was bored to be honest.

"Hey Tatsumi." Najenda asked.

"What is it boss?" He asked as he continued to throw twigs in the fire.

"Is the reason you don't work alongside everyone that well, is because you think they are weak?" She was curious and figured now would be a good time as any to bring it up.

"I think everyone is weak." Tatsumi said as he just leaned forward and stared at the fire. "If you feel things, you're weak. If you bleed, you're weak. If you trust, you're weak. If you follow someone, you're weak." He repeated the word in each of his sentences as Najenda pulled out a cigarette and lit it in the fire.

"That's a pretty narrow way to define weak. Why do you think its weakness?" She asked as she puffed some smoke.

"Because I learned having any of those things just gets people killed in this world." He said as the fire snapped."Take that guy from earlier, you went out on a whim thinking that he could be trusted. Knowing that, they set a trap for you. Weakness number one."

"True, I did go out there on a whim. The Revolutionary Army is fighting hard, and we need allies and people willing to fight back. We always take the risk of that sort of thing happening. But that doesn't mean everybody is the same." She said as she rested her cigarette between her fingers. "People get tired of living in fear of a corrupt government, so they speak out against it. When that doesn't work, they fight back. That in turn inspires others to do the same." She explained as she smiled a little.

"Monkey see, monkey do?" He said sarcastically.

"Pupbth!" She covered her mouth all of a sudden, trying to hold back a laugh.

_"It wasn't that funny." _Tatsumi sweat dropped.

"Ahem, anyway. The point is, if a force collides against another, expect there to be resistance. It's kind of how this whole revolt started anyway." She put out her cigarette then looked Tatsumi in the eyes."Tatsumi. I don't expect you to trust us so easily. But, I just wanted to say, I trust you." Tatsumi's eyes widened a little.

"So you're going out on a whim?" Tatsumi scoffed.

"..Yeah. Something like that." She smiled one last time and stood up. "Lets get back to base." She said as she walked back. Tatsumi sat there for a moment contemplated on what they discussed. He looked at his Teigu for a moment then stood up and headed back to the hideout.

* * *

><p>"Sigh, man i'm beat." He said out loud as he opened the door.<p>

"THERE YOU ARE YOU DICK TO APPENDAGES!" Lubbock shouted as he dashed towards the door.

"I'm thinking of stepping it up to limbs if you don't stop yelling in my ear." Tatsumi said as he turned away from him.

"Miss Najenda came in smiling for some reason! Did something happen between you two!?" He demanded as he pointed his bandaged finger.

"That strikes you as odd? She smiles about almost everything." Tatsumi just couldn't get this guy. His obsession with his boss was irritatingly pathetic.

"No, she smiles only when something good happens, like everybody coming back from a mission safely, or when Akame makes something other then meat for dinner, or when somebody tells a really lame pun!"

"Pun?..Oh, that's why she laughed." Tatsumi came to a realization as he put his hand to his chin.

"You said a lame joke..and she laughed!?" He grabbed him by the color. "What part of I called dibs first did you not understand!?"

"What the hell are you even talking about?"

"Playing dumb doesn't work on me! I know you're trying to get on Miss Najenda's sweet side! So she'll worry about you, talk to you, and even ask you to go with her on an important mission!" He had weird thoughts showing above his head that Tatsumi found weird. Tatsumi just sweat dropped. "She'll pamper you, and then suddenly the pampering turns to caring, then suddenly one day she'll cross over to the forbidden Superior 'X' Subordinate line, then suddenly you two are unable to stop having these feelings for each other, then-"

_**(WHAM!)**_

Tatsumi just walked away why Lubbock had a bump smoking on his head from Tatsumi."I'm not after the boss you damn idiot! Now knock it off, or the next time I will personally KILL you with that finger!" He had a tick mark on the back of his head while he held his fist up.

"Wahhh~! Miss Najenda, please comfort me~!" He thought as he was in his own little fantasy.

"Geez." Tatsumi sighed as he walked down the hall. _"That guy can be stupid and smart at the weirdest times. Why the hell would he think I was hitting on the boss?!...Sigh, between him and Mine, I don't know which is more annoying."_ He headed towards his room but stopped all of a sudden. Something was burning. He ran to the kitchen and coughed as he came through the black smoke.

"(Cough), (Cough), What-!?(Cough)..the..(Pant)..hell-?!" He covered his nose and mouth as he reach for his Teigu. He then whipped it horizontally, and the pressure from it blew the smoke out. He then breathed again and saw Sheele passed out on the floor.

"Sheele! Hey, c'mon wake up!" He rushed to her side and was examining her to make sure she wasn't hurt. _"She must have inhaled too much smoke." _He thought as he bent down and listened to her chest. He then helped her to his room because he didn't know where her's was. He put her on the bed then felt her head.

"Damn it." Tatsumi scowled. She had fever.

* * *

><p>Sheele was slowly opening her eyes and moaned slightly, but coughed. She felt something cool on her head, and she was in a bed, but not her own. She turned her head slightly which made the cloth slip off. She but couldn't see that well because of her missing glasses. She found her glasses placed on a table beside her and she grabbed them then put them on. She looked and saw Tatsumi sitting on one side of the bed against the wall, cross-legged with a book that had Teigu information on it.<p>

"Looks like you're awake." He said as he just stared at the book emotionless.

"Huh?" Sheele then realized she was in Tatsumi's bed and blushed a little. He was sitting close to her and she was kinda of conscious about, because she measured the distance between them to just mere inches away. "Tatsumi? What am I..doing in your bed?" She asked in her innocent tone.

"I wonder." Tatsumi said as he shut the book with one hand and placed it beside himself. He looked at Sheele with his dark green orbs, making her feel a bit flustered. "I come back then find the kitchen on fire. And guess who I found passed out on the floor?"

"Who?" She asked curiously.

_"Is she serious?" _He sweat dropped at the airhead's question. "You. Were you cooking again?" He asked, thinking he wasn't going to like the answer.

"I-I tried doing what you did when I got back as soon as we got our supplies for the month. But, my apron caught on fire while I was frying the steak. I tried to put that out with what I thought was water, but it turned out to be lighter fluid...eheheh." She nervously chuckled. "I got the apron off. But I accidentally threw it on the stove. It got worse and...I don't need to tell you do I?" She explained as Tatsumi just shook his head in disbelief.

"You are literally a recipe for disaster." Tatsumi sighed.

"I'm sorry. I keep making you do inconvenient things." She frowned as she drooped her head.

"...Sigh." Tatsumi then crawled off the bed and began walking out the door. "Just let me know the next time you want to cook." He said as he leaned his head out the door.

"Hai. Thanks for going to the trouble of taking care of me."She thanked him.

"Someone's gotta do it." He scoffed with a smile as she made a noise of surprise. Her glasses were covering her eyes white, as she had light blush. "The boss wanted me to head out on a mission with everyone. See ya." He then turned and walked off.

"Be careful out there..Tatsumi." Sheele said as she put her hand over her chest and smiled a little. Tatsumi then walked over to the large room where they meet and found Mine and Akame standing there with Najenda in her seat.

"Took you long enough." Mine huffed.

"I don't recall there being a time limit." Tatsumi said as he walked up to them.

"Lubbock's passed out by the door! Did one of you get to him?" Leone asked, noticing the green haired to be sleeping peacefully.

"He'll live." Tatsumi said as he had a menacing aura surrounding him.

_"He's..upset about something." _Leone thought as she felt his killing intent.

"Oowah! Lubbock, why are you sleeping on the floor!?" They heard Bulat's voice out in the hall. He was trying to wake him up as they turned to an annoyed Tatsumi. They just shrugged it off normally.

"Anyway, I got a new target for us. Its the famed serial killer that's been popping up recently. Apparently the cases are that he shows up randomly during the night..and beheads the victims." Najenda explained.

"That almost sounds like..Zank the Beheader." Lubbock said as he came in while rubbing his head.

"Who's Zank the Beheader?" Tatsumi asked.

"You don't know? You must be a country bumpkin to not know about this guy." Mine said simply.

"Humor me." Tatsumi said as he crossed his arms.

"Zank the Beheader. He used to be an executioner for the Empire's greatest prison. Because of the prime minister, a lot of people were having to be executed. Day in and day out for years, he killed again and again to the point where he just wasn't satisfied with the daily executions, so he became a serial killer." Mine explained.

"He also stole the warden's Teigu. So he's going to be a strong opponent. A detainment force was supposed to have retrieved him but I guess he fled before they could zero in on him. Who'd have thought he'd be in the capital." Bulat said with a serious face.

"...Hm." Tatsumi hummed then walked over to the shelf of short swords. He then picked one up and examined it. Satisfied, he grabbed his long brown coat and put it on. He then fastened the short sword to his back.

"You all will be patrolling the area around the capital. Find Zank, and eliminate him. Dismissed." She finished as they all nodded. Tatsumi then grabbed his Teigu as well and and fastened the scabbard similarly to his other short sword. They both hung across the bottom of his back, and the two sword handles were on his right side.

"You ready to head out, Tatsumi?" Bulat came over and asked.

"Not quite." Tatsumi said. He then walked over to the table and grabbed his belt of small concealed throwing knives. His coat draped over them, so the only visible weapons were his two swords on his back. He shrugged a little and breathed out. Now he was ready.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Later in the capital...<strong>_

"Guess the people got cold feet. No one is out tonight." Tatsumi noted as he and Akame walked around town.

"Hm.." Akame hummed as she was examining their route.

"Bet they don't know tha-!?" Tatsumi and Akame then quickly hid in an alleyway. Some soldiers came running across the street, acting as if they were looking for someone.

"Looks like we aren't the only ones who're looking for a serial killer." Tatsumi said as he and Akame peeked out the side of the alley.

"City guards. Even these guys have shown up...we'll have to watch our step." She said as they came out of the alley.

"This just keeps getting better by the minute." Tatsumi chuckled. The two then sat down by a bench and Akame pulled some snacks out of her utility belt.

"Are you always hungry? It's almost like you eat every 2 hours." Tatsumi just couldn't believe Akame's eating habits. Did she have a endless pit in her stomach or something?!

"Its important to keep your strength up in this line of work." She said as she munched on...wait a minute.

"Hey..isn't that my rolled sandwich I was saving for later?" He asked as she turned slightly and sweated a little.

"Mm-! Uh, I didn't know." She sweated nervously.

"I specifically put a note on the side of the plate that said "Do not touch"." He narrowed his eyes.

"Oh..I thought it meant the plate." Akame said as she was trying to think of a justifiable reason.

"LIKE HELL IT DID!" He shouted comically with a tick mark." Sigh..don't worry about it. I'll just make another one when we get back." He sighed as he got up."I'm gonna go take a piss. Be right back." He said as he got up and walked away.

"It is very good!" She gave him a thumbs up as he thought,

_"Just stop..please." _Tatsumi scowled. He would need to take measures to insure the safety of his portions. He tried hiding a piece of dessert in the cabinets, but Akame sniffed it out. He then tried hiding it behind some of the pans, but she found it out while asking if he could cook. Finally, he decided to make a spot in the pantry where only he knew about, but that was futile because Akame had Leone find a "mysterious smell" coming from the pantry with her Teigu. The girl's appetite was ridicules, and her tenacity to find food was even beyond that. Ever since he got there she only ate what he cooked most of the time. It's like she was obsessed with eating his food.

"Uhh..if Kami is real, he must be laughing at me everyday." He thought out loud. He zipped up his pants and then fastened his belt. He then felt a presence near him and immediately whipped his head around. His eyes then widened. He was silent and kept his mouth shut, but his eyes were widening in recognition.

_"No way..no fucking way..I buried you my self-!? Sayo!?" _He thought. Sayo then smiled sweetly then began walking away. Tatsumi walked forward and then gasped a little and shook his head. He wasn't sure why, but seeing Sayo again was making him lose his nerve. He didn't like that, but he followed her anyway. After a minute he then found her in a wide open area on the street, and standing there with the same smile. He then thought of something else. The way she smiled...for reasons unknown to him, he didn't feel the same...feeling? That didn't sound right..maybe he was in denial? Maybe he finally went off the deep end.

"...That is you..isn't it?" Tatsumi asked. She then giggled a little and offered her hand. He then slowly turned to his side and was approaching her with a foreshadowed look. She continued with her same happy expression.

"...If you are Sayo..." Tatsumi said as he then slowly grabbed his sword. He then glared up and was filled with sudden killing intent. He dashed past her with his short sword drawn. "..Then you would have been able to dodge that." He looked back and he didn't see Sayo any more, but a large man with blades extending out of his forearms. He barely blocked Tatsumi's strike. He was bleeding on his shoulder as he stared up at Tatsumi with a maniacal look on his face.

"Oh~? You would attack the person that matters to you the most? Even to a guy like me that's cold."

"What I see, and what I feel are two different things, you old bastard." Tatsumi pointed his sword at him.

"Instead of "old bastard", i'd prefer if you were to call me by my name. Zank the Beheader!" His devilish smirk showed.

"I don't give a damn who you are. You're just another meatbag." He glared as he shot at him again and began slashing at him.

"Hoh? Not bad. But I can see where you aim~!" He said amused. "Come into my space, with diagonal sword slashes, a thrust, then a quick turn around to get my back...and to finish off, you throw you're knives at me for a distraction which I block, then you go for my head~!" He said sing songy. Tatsumi just did everything he said as he jumped away from him.

"So you can read my moves. Big deal." He said as he lowered his sword.

"I can read your thought as well thanks to my Teigu _**S**__**pectator." **_ He pointed to the eye like object on his forehead. "Right now you're thinking "I talk more then I need to, isn't that right Tatsum-huh?" He then looked at Tatsumi with a surprised look. He was smirking with an amused look."You...YOU LITTLE SHIT!" He roared with a tick mark.

"You can read my thoughts, right? When you said you could read my movements it was probably because of that stupid looking thing on your forehead." He pointed to."So while you were busy telling me what I was going to do, I simply went along with it. And while you were busy reading my thoughts, you were too distracted by what I was thinking, that you didn't notice what I did earlier." He said as Zank looked on his body. He then saw a small throwing knife in his leg.

"What!? When did that get there!? I blocked those daggers you threw at me earlier!" He immediately pulled it out and threw it on the ground.

"I wonder." Tatsumi said, and scoffed. "If someone wrote you a script, it's only natural you'd follow it, right?" He shrugged. As Zank's veins were nearly popping out of his head.

"I'm..GONNA TAKE YOUR HEAD!" He roared as he and Tatsumi engaged in another clash.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Elsewhere...<strong>_

"Over 400,000 men and women, and they can't even have a shred of dignity." Esdeath sigh and smiled. "Fill the holes!" She shouted.

"No! Please have mercy!"

"I don't wanna die!"

"Just kill me now!" Cries of terror filled the air as hundreds of thousands of men, woman, and children were being buried alive.

"These tribesmen are weaker then I imagined them to be. I'm beginning to doubt there's anyone out there that can even...Actually..There was that young man, Tatsumi if I recall." She put her hand to her cheek and the scratch on her cheek was nearly healed to the point it disappeared.

"General Esdeath! You have orders from the capital. It's a recall order." An officer said as he ran up and saluted to Esdeath. He handed her a letter as she took it and read it.

"Hoh? Great. I was just starting to get bored." She said as she yawned. "Tell the men after they're done filling the holes to head out to the last encampment. I'll be returning to the capital."

"Yes General!" He saluted once more and ran ahead to relay the orders to the rest of the troops. Esdeath then looked to see someone crawling out of one of the holes. She then swiftly kicked them down as they screamed.

"Now now, you brought this all on yourselves. It is what you get for being weak. Die with the fact knowing that I, myself was the one to kill you." She simply said and walked away. She got on a horse and began riding out. She thought back and was smiling. _"My hunt for Night Raid will begin right after I find Tatsumi. I wonder if he's still alive..?..No..anyone who can fight me without hesitation would not be that easy to kill." _She thought. Her mind wasn't really focused on the battle of the Northern Tribes. Ever since Tatsumi had got away, she just couldn't let it slide. It was infuriating to say the least, but she was actually feeling excitement from their battle. Those dark green eyes, their piercing gaze was that of someone who would not stop until their opponent was killed.

He had much more backbone then that so called "hero" that she made into her pet. He also seemed to believe the same standards as her. Yes, she simply had to get this person within her possession. He had potential beyond any person she thought of. His strikes with his sword were pretty hard, his footwork seemed alright. But she had yet feel his killing intent. She figured that maybe she would get the chance to find out. She then had an idea, although it was a long shot. She hastened her return to the capital. Wanting to put her plan into motion.

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><p><em><strong>Back at the capital...<strong>_

"Kuh!" Tatsumi was breathing pretty hard. That asshole Zank managed get a slash in on his shoulder. He glared back at Zank as Zank just had an amused look.

"Impressive boy! Even after I cut your shoulder that deeply, you continue to fight on." He licked the blood off his bladed gauntlet. "Come on, beg for forgiveness! Let me see you're expression before I take your head and add it to my collection~!" He had the look of a demon similar to Ogre.

"(Pant)..You are just pathetic." Tatsumi said as he stood straight.

"Huh?" Zank raised an eyebrow.

"You've been talking about how you're such a master of decapitation , but you couldn't even sever my arm. As an executioner.." Tatsumi pointed his sword at him and smiled darkly. "You fail."

"...GRRRRggggh! DON'T GET COCKY YOU DAMN BRAT!" He said as he charged him again. Tatsumi rushed in as well and the two passed each other. Zank then noticed that his blade was starting to get a little cracked. _"What!? They're starting to break?!" _

"You probably noticed it by now.." Tatsumi began to say as he turned back to him. "But hidden blades are more fragile then regular swords. Not like my short sword, that's made up of a stronger and thicker materiel. Since you read my moves, I figured I would take away your main form of offense." Tatsumi explained.

"No way..you're just a runt!" Zank said as he scowled.

"Call me what you, but I think I've had enough of trying to beat a Teigu user with normal means." Tatsumi sheathed his short sword behind him. He reached for his other sword as he held on to the grip.

"So you possess a Teigu as well? Very well then! I'll just kill you and take it before you can use it~!" He dashed at Tatsumi and was going for the kill before a katana struck the ground right in front of him, bringing him to an immediate stop.

_"That's..." _Tatsumi recognized the weapon. Akame then came down from the sky and landed near her sword. She grabbed it and then took a slash at Zank as he blocked it and was sliding back from the blow.

"Ahh~! Now this IS a treat! The ill-famed Akame, and the one hit kill sword Murasame." He stated as he examined the newcomer.

"Tatsumi, are you ok?" She asked as she turned and noticed his left shoulder bleeding.

"I'm fine. He just got lucky. I think he damaged a nerve or something. I can't move my arm that well." He said as he narrowed his eyes at Zank.

"I see...Don't worry, this will be over in a second. Then I will tend to your wounds." She said as a cloud of killing intent was coming out of her. She was definitely gonna kill this guy. At least Tatsumi thought that.

"I've always wanted to meet you. It's such a treat~!" Zank said as he smiled.

"I to have wanted to meet you. It's my mission to take your life after all." She replied confidently.

"COME!" He shouted as the two clashed. Tatsumi just watched her in interest. She was good. Very good. Despite the fact he was reading her moves, he could only defend and evade. Zank couldn't find any openings and was knocked back once again.

"Hahaha! You really are good!" He praised. "That sword is really unfair, seeing as how I would die from just one little scratch."

"That's a load of crap coming from someone who can read movements and thoughts." Tatsumi said as Akame heard him.

"I see. So that's his Teigu's power. If that's the case..." Her mind went blank, as did her red eyes.

"Interesting. One without thought. But that doesn't matter! Spectator can also predict the future as well! By reading the slightest muscle movements, I can predict all of your movements!" He smirked as he was envisioning scenarios where she would be killed. Akame just attacked again at nearly unreadable movements as she kept knocking him back, and destroying the ground around them.

_"Damn she's strong!" _Tatsumi thought.

"Say Akame, what do you do about the voices?" Zank suddenly asked. "You know, the constant voices. The moaning, those who bared a grudge towards you from the depths of hell, wanting to drag you down with them? As my time as an executioner, I've always had to deal with the voices. I talk a lot to deal with it, but how do yo-"

"I don't."

"Huh?" He had a shocked look on his face.

"I..don't hear voices. I hear nothing." She simply stated.

"I see..I thought maybe an assassin as yourself would understand. IT TRULY IS A SHAME, AKAME!" He said as he disappeared. Akame's eyes then widened as she saw someone familiar to her pop up.

"K-Kurome?" She said a little shocked.

"What the..?" Tatsumi was confused why she stopped.

"Hehehe~! _**Illusion Sight**_. It summons an illusion of the person you care about the most in this world. And its an absolute hypnosis, which means that she can't be shaken from it!" He cackled darkly as Tatsumi was slowly pulling out _**Sky Ripper.** _

"Come! DIE WITH THE ILLUSION OF THE ONE YOU GAZE AT, AKAME!" He shouted as he headed towards her. Akame then narrowed her eyes and then slashed at her illusion as Zank gasped. He barley managed to block Akame's strike.

"What!?..She's..merciless...YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN GAZING AT THE ONE YOU LOVE THE MOST IN THIS WORLD!" Zank yelled in disbelief.

"The person I love most in this world..is also the one I want to kill the most." She glared up at him as he sweated nervously. _"She..What is she..!?" _

_"This fight is over." _Tatsumi thought. He eased his grip on his Teigu, seeing as how Akame was back in action. She charged forth and preformed an upper slash with her sword and cut his blades in half. They flew up in the air from the strike as Zank looked back down at Akame with a nervous look.

"Obliterate." She said in a firm voice. She then swung her sword at his neck and Zank's head was separated from the rest of his body as his last thoughts were,

_"The voices..they've..stopped." _His corpse hit the ground and Akame sheathed Murasame back in its scabbard.

"Target eliminated." She said.

"Well ain't this appropriate." Tatsumi said as he walked up to the dead man. "The beheader..was beheaded." He thought as he looked down at Zank's face.

"Tatsumi." Akame said as he turned to her. "Are you alright?"

"..No." He said with a furrowed look and a frown. "I couldn't even beat this idiot with a regular sword. Guess it goes to show I still got a lot to learn." He said as he winced at his bleeding shoulder.

"You..tried to beat him with just a sword? Why not use your Teigu?" She was confused.

"Cause if I can't deal with meatbags of this level with my own strength..." He then began walking away. "..Then it proves i'm just weak without one." He said as he walked down the road. Akame frowned a little as she looked back at Zank's corpse and took the eye-like Teigu that was attached to his forehead, then walked with Tatsumi back to base.

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><p>Tatsumi was just sitting in a grassy field cross legged staring out at the scenery. His arm was in a sling and he was lost in his own empty world as he thought about his fight. He wanted to get stronger, but these Teigu's..if his enemy uses them, then it just meant that he would have to start using his properly. He didn't like the fact he had to rely on some weapon that gave him an unfair advantage over others. He liked accomplishing things with his own skills and strength. But it turns out he's just gonna have to swallow his pride and play the game the way it was intended.<p>

He then felt an apron fluttering down and landing on top of him as he grabbed it and looked back.

"What are you doing out here? We have dinner to prepare." She said as she stood atop of the hill.

"Right." Tatsumi said in his usual annoyed tone. He got up and put the apron over his shoulder and headed towards Akame.

"Even the injured have things they can do." She said as they walked back to base.

"Yeah." Tatsumi just went along with it in a bored tone.

"Do you mind..if I ask you something?" She asked him all of a sudden.

"By all means." They stopped as they looked at each other.

"You were lured away from me on the mission by Zank correct?" She asked.

"..What about it?" He asked with a blank look.

"Did he..use that illusion move on you?" He was silent as he frowned little.

"I guess. I saw someone I didn't want to see." He said as she maintained a blank look.

"The person that matters most to you-"

"She's dead." He said bluntly. "I buried her with my own two hands. I never felt anything from seeing that illusion. It was just a way to catch me off guard." He was imagining Sayo as she laughed at him sweetly.

"...I see." Akame nodded.

"What about you?"

"Hm?"

"Who did you see?" He asked.

"..If the time comes, i'll tell you." She said as Tatsumi nodded.

"Well...(Sigh)...lets go get dinner started." He took a deep breath and they both headed back inside to whip something up.

"Tonight we are having meat."

"Don't we always meat?" Tatsumi just sweat dropped at her. He then unknown to her just chuckled and smiled to himself.

_"I guess maybe. I am weak..heh." _

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><p><strong>Aaaaand boom! Here you guys go! I made this one extra long for lack of updating it! ReadReview/Rate!**

**Laters!**


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